KATHMANDU: A Nepali man who tried to use bought travel documents of a Tibetan refugee, who had come to India from the United States a month ago, in his desperate attempt to fly to the US has recently been arrested in New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Identified as one Rajendra Gurung, the Nepali citizen had allegedly paid IRs 4 million to Pema Wangyal, who has also been apprehended, after getting in contact with him through an agent, Indian media reported.

On the night of Sunday, January 15, both of them had made it to the IGIA 3 and swapped their documents in a washroom after separately clearing the immigration and security checks.

"While Pema had his legal papers and visa, Gurung had an Air India ticket to Mumbai," the Hindustan Times reported.

"Pema passed the immigration channel with his papers and Gurung went through the immigration channel from the domestic counter with the boarding pass for the Air India flight, which operates from the international side of Terminal 3."

Carrying the boarding pass and Pema's passport when Gurung went to board the United Airline flight UA-83 to Newark, the airline staff had smelt a rat and alerted the authorities.

They have been handed over to the Delhi police for further action.

The Tibetan man allegedly possessed a fake Nepali citizenship card issued in the name of Wangdu Lama Tsering at the time of his arrest, according to another report.

During interrogation, the duo revealed that the fake ids of both the persons were prepared by two Nepal-based agents, The Siasat Delhi quoted a security official as saying.