new Delhi, Nov. 21 -- The Supreme Court has sounded the alarm over a pattern of foreign nationals securing bail on the basis of dubious sureties and then disappearing, calling upon the Union government and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to spell out existing mechanisms to verify the genuineness of surety documents. The court noted that in at least 38 cases probed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and nine cases investigated by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), foreign nationals, particularly from Nigeria and Nepal, had absconded after furnishing sureties that later turned out to be fake. A bench of justices Sanjay Karol and Vipul M Pancholi expressed serious concern that impersonation by sureties "appears to be rampant" in certain states and flagged systemic gaps that allow trial courts to rely on fabricated identities. Observing that the issue has significant implications for the criminal justice process, especially in cases involving grave offences, the bench said it was imperative to examine whether existing technological tools, including a surety verification module prepared by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), are functional and adequate. The matter arose from a DRI case involving the seizure of 4.9 kg of heroin from an accused who, according to the prosecution, had named Chidiebere Kingsley Nawchara, as an accomplice. Nawchara was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in May 2025 on the ground that he had undergone "long incarceration" of over two years. When the Centre challenged the order, the Supreme Court stayed the bail and directed the Maharashtra police in September to arrest the accused and, if necessary, issue lookout circulars. But by October, he had vanished. The bench was informed that despite a lookout notice and efforts to track him through the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Nawchara remained untraceable....