A 56-year-old foreign national has been arrested in Brooklyn for allegedly making and selling fake South African documents.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the arrest followed a joint operation by Maitland police and the Border Management Authority after a complainant reported that his asylum document had been cloned and identified a possible suspect.

Police spokesperson Thembakazi Mpendukana says officers and Border Management Authority officials then went to the suspect’s home in Brooklyn.

“Upon arrival, they found the suspect printing out car registration documents.”

Mpendukana says a thorough search of the house led to the seizure of technology equipment, fake passports, entry visas and various official stamps.

“A further search resulted in the discovery of blank document templates that have South Africa’s coat of arms.”

The suspect was arrested on charges of forgery, uttering and contravening the Immigration Act. He is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court once he has been formally charged.