Delhi Police Busts 10-Year-Old Visa Racket, 4 Arrested

New Delhi: The crime branch of Delhi Police has busted an international visa racket and taken into custody four persons.

Police seized a total of 80 passports from various countries, and plenty of forged and incriminating documents, stamps and laptops.

The accused — identified as Girish Bhandari, Himanshu Mehta, Gagan Sharma, and Ramesh Arya –were involved in illegal methods of sending people abroad, according to police.

The quartet was nabbed following raids in Prem Nagar and Tilak Nagar.

They had been operating the syndicate under the guise of a tour and travel business in Delhi. The modus operandi was for their sub-agents to lure people who were looking to go abroad.

The minimum fee charged for a Schengen visa was Rs 6 lakh, while for an illegal entry into the United States through Mexico border, the syndicate charged around Rs 27 lakh per candidate.

The sub-agents would collect original passports and bank details from the victims, which were passed on to the syndicate’s members operating in Delhi. The accused then forged a chain of documents, including bank statements and fake income tax returns (ITRs), using advanced computer applications and editing software.

Thereafter, visa was processed on the basis of these forged and fabricated documents.

After applicants got tourist visas, they were charged additional money to facilitate boarding.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that they were involved in this illegal business for the last 10 to 12 years.