Delhi Police busts fake visa racket, arrests Punjab-based agent

New Delhi, Sep 19 (PTI) Delhi Police has busted a fake visa racket and arrested an agent from Punjab who allegedly arranged forged UK visas for those wanting to travel to the country, officials said on Friday.

The matter came to light when a 22-year-old woman from Punjab's Kapurthala was stopped at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport during immigration clearance for London. On scrutiny, the UK visa pasted on her passport was found to be fake, they said.

A case was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Passport Act, and the woman, Amarjit Kaur, was apprehended.

"During questioning, the woman told investigators that her brother lives in London and that she paid Rs 5 lakh in advance to a Punjab-based agent, Sarwan Singh alias Kohli, after failing the IELTS exam," Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Vichitra Veer said.

Singh and his associates had promised to arrange her travel to the UK for a total of Rs 22 lakh, he said.

Following technical surveillance and local intelligence inputs, a team from the IGI Airport police station arrested Singh from his hideout in Kapurthala. Singh (52), a class 12 dropout, admitted to arranging fake visas and forged documents for clients looking to travel abroad, police said.

Efforts are being made to trace his associates and establish links with similar cases, they said.

According to the officials, 23 people have been booked in cases related to fake visas, passports, cheating and forgery, and action has been taken against over 25 people for touting and other illegal activities at the airport in September so far. PTI SSJ DIV DIV