IGIA: Agent arrested in passport fraud scheme

NEW DELHI: The IGI Airport Police team have arrested an agent from Uttar Pradesh, who facilitated a passenger’s travel to Thailand using a passport obtained through a fake Aadhar card.

The accused was identified as Arvind Pandey (46), son of Shiva Kant Pandey, and a resident of Mangalpur, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.

According to the Police, the incident unfolded on the night of June 9-10, when a passenger presenting an Indian passport under the name Ashwani Kumar was caught at IGI Airport’s Departure Immigration counter.

The passenger, intending to travel to Bangkok, aroused suspicion during document scrutiny as his age did not match the passport details.

Further questioning revealed his true identity as Sagar Gupta, 38, from Gorakhpur, UP. Gupta had fraudulently changed his credentials to secure the passport.

During the investigation, Gupta disclosed his plan to join his brother-in-law in Bangkok for better job prospects.

He met Arvind Pandey, who promised to arrange the necessary passport and visa for Rs 1 lakh. Pandey, along with associates, manipulated Gupta’s Aadhar card details to obtain the fraudulent passport from Lucknow.

Gupta, who had previously visited Bangkok in 2020, was caught attempting to use the fake documents again.

A dedicated team of the Delhi Police from the IGI Police Station led by Inspector Vijender Rana, SHO of IGI Airport, conducted raids at Pandey’s possible hideouts in UP.

Despite initial evasion, Pandey was eventually captured in Gorakhpur. During interrogation, Pandey admitted his involvement, revealing that he had been operating as an agent for several years, arranging fake documents to earn quick money.

The investigation is ongoing to identify other involved agents and scrutinize Pandey’s bank accounts for connections to similar fraudulent activities. Authorities aim to dismantle the network and prevent further scams targeting unsuspecting travelers.