Passport tampering scheme: IGIA police nab Punjab-based agent

NEW DELHI: The IGI Airport police in Delhi have arrested an agent from Punjab involved in a passport tampering scheme aimed at facilitating unauthorized overseas travel. The police received a tip about the agent through an anonymous source at the IGI Airport Police Station.

The arrested accused was identified as Gurbaj Singh (58), son of Bhupinder Singh and resident of Mandvi, Moonak, Sangrur, Punjab. As per the Police, the case came to light when Jobanpreet Singh, a passenger bound for Romania, was denied boarding at IGI Airport due to discrepancies found in his passport. These discrepancies included tampered pages and a missing departure stamp from a previous deportation from Serbia in February 2022.

Investigations revealed that Jobanpreet Singh had been deported from Serbia and sought to conceal this record with the assistance of Gurbaj Singh and an associate named Amarpreet Singh. The duo altered the passport by replacing certain pages and manipulating the central stitching, charging Rs 4 lakhs for their services.

The accused Gurbaj Singh was arrested in a well-coordinated operation led by Inspector Vijender Rana, under the supervision of the ACP of the IGI Airport.

The arrest, a culmination of relentless efforts by the airport authorities, brought to light a syndicate enticing individuals with promises

of overseas employment through tampering with travel documents.

Upon Gurbaj Singh’s arrest, he confessed, revealing his agricultural background and implicating his associate in the racket. The operation underscored the unwavering commitment of airport authorities to safeguarding air travel and served as a cautionary tale for passengers to beware of

fraudulent agents offering seemingly lucrative travel arrangements abroad.