Chennai based agent arrested for arranging fake Schengen visas

NEW DELHI: The IGI Airport Police team arrested an agent based in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai for facilitating counterfeit Schengen visas for Italy. The police were tipped off about the agent’s activities from an anonymous source at the IGI Airport Police Station.

The arrested accused was identified as Robin Raju (35), son of Sathya Daas and a resident of Neelikonampalayam, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.

According to the Police, the arrest followed an investigation into an incident on December 30, 2018, when two Indian passengers, Sini Joseph, and Jancy Joy, were prevented from boarding a flight to Rome from IGI Airport due to the detection of counterfeit visas.

The case, registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Passport Act, uncovered that the passengers had sought Raju’s services to secure employment in Italy, paying him an advance of Rs 80,000 with promises of further payments upon successful entry.

Through persistent efforts of a dedicated team under the close supervision of senior officials, Raju was eventually apprehended from one of his hideouts. Operating a travel agency named ‘Robin Travels’ in Tamil Nadu for over a decade, Raju was found to have arranged fake Italian Schengen visas for two passengers, both of whom were deported from Italy after their fraudulent documents were detected. During interrogation, Raju confessed to being part of a syndicate exploiting individuals aspiring to work abroad, admitting to orchestrating counterfeit travel documents as part of a scheme to deceive hopeful migrants.