Melbourne: An Indian-origin businessman could be stripped of his Australian citizenship and deported after he was convicted of identity fraud, a media report said on Tuesday. Randeep Singh Waraich was found guilty in the Heidelberg Magistrates' Court last week of supplying false information in his applications for Australian visas and citizenship documents, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said. The Victorian businessman was also fined USD 5,000 and ordered to pay court costs. Morrison said his department was now examining the case.

"The conviction means Waraich may be liable for revocation of his Australian citizenship," Morrison was quoted as saying by Herald Sun. "The Department of Immigration and Border Protection identified that this Thomastown resident had assumed a false identity in an attempt to circumvent Australia's border control and migration laws." If his citizenship is revoked, Waraich would be the first person in seven years to be stripped of Australian citizenship and deported, the report said. Morrison said he welcomed the successful prosecution under the Migration Act and the Australian Citizenship Act.

"Where the department becomes aware of fraud, the matters are fully investigated and can result in both criminal and administrative penalties," Morrison said. He said it should be a clear warning to others. "My department works closely with other government agencies, both federal and state, to assist in the identification and prosecution of people committing such identity crimes," Morrison said.