2 arrested in fake visa racket at IGI Airport
New Delhi: The IGI Delhi Airport police have arrested one Kolkata-based and one Delhi-based agent in a fake international visa racket.
The police received the information about the agents through an anonymous source at IGI Delhi Airport Police Station. The arrested accused were identified as Manoj Gupta (40), resident of Haridevpur, Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, and Satish Kumar (28), resident of Bankatwa, Raghunathpur, Basti, Uttar Pradesh.
According to the police, the accused Manoj Gupta was apprehended for facilitating a passenger’s asylum in France using forged documents.
Gupta was involved in creating fake Bangladeshi identity papers that helped the passengers obtain refugee status in France. This case was registered on April 30, 2022, with Gupta facing charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including conspiracy, cheating, and forgery. In a separate operation, the accused Satish Kumar was caught providing a fake Schengen Visa to a passenger, who was charged Rs 5 lakh for the service. Kumar’s arrest followed the discovery of the counterfeit visa during a security check at the airport. The case against Kumar includes charges of cheating and forgery under the IPC and the Passport Act.
These arrests were the result of meticulous investigations led by Inspector Vijender Rana, SHO of the IGI Airport Police Station, under the supervision of the ACP of the IGI Airport Police Department and further oversight by senior police officials. Despite initial challenges in locating the accused, dedicated efforts by the police teams eventually led to their capture from their hideouts in Kolkata and Delhi, respectively.
The investigations revealed that both agents operated within their syndicates, targeting individuals with promises of overseas travel using legitimately obtained passports and visas at seemingly lucrative prices. The operation has exposed a substantial scam involving the procurement of fake visas and fraudulent travel documents, highlighting the relentless efforts of law enforcement to secure air travel.
The case of Manoj Gupta was revealed after a passenger, Sumit Das, was found to have travelled to France on a fraudulently obtained Indian passport, later claiming asylum as a Bangladeshi national.
Similarly, Satish Kumar’s fraudulent activities came to light following the interrogation of a passenger, Amjot Singh, who had been provided with a fake visa.
