New Delhi, July 12
The Delhi Police IGI unit has cracked whip on immigration frauds and arrested as many as 108 touts in just six months. The arrests have been made nationwide, including in Punjab, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, and West Bengal.
DCP (IGI) Usha Rangnani highlighted the key changes she introduced in the working of the police personnel that brought tremendous sucess in the fraud cases.
DCP Rangnani said, “The police have shifted their focus towards holding agents accountable rather than solely targeting passengers, who may unknowingly fall victim to illegal immigration schemes, often seeking better opportunities abroad. This strategic approach addresses the root causes of these scams and has led to significant success in detection and apprehension efforts”.
“A thorough review of pending cases where only passengers were previously arrested, was conducted and Investigating Officers were briefed and tasked to track down and prosecute these offenders. As a result, in 2024, numerous agents from old cases (around 51 agents) and new cases (around 57 agents) have been apprehended”, she added.
She further stated that around 76 LOCs have been issued for agents who have fled abroad or remain untraceable. This ensures their apprehension upon arrival or departure from India, marking a twofold increase from the same period in 2023. Several proclaimed offenders, mostly from cases over a decade old, have been apprehended this year, demonstrating the police's commitment to resolving long-standing cases.
In addition to that public awareness is crucial to prevent individuals from falling victim to fraudulent agents who exploit their aspirations for better opportunities abroad. These agents employ deceptive tactics, often leaving unaware passengers in legal jeopardy. Many victims unknowingly become involved in these schemes, paying substantial sums sourced from selling lands, mortgaging homes, or taking high-interest loans. It is imperative for individuals to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of agents and their services.
The IGI Airport Police's investigations have revealed various rackets and scams involving methods such as affixing fake departure/arrival stamps, using 'donkey routes' for illegal entry, producing fake visas, forging passports, work permits, and seaman documents, creating fake identities for foreign nationals especially for Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas and orchestrating impersonation schemes. An exhaustive analysis of various modus operandi employed by fraudulent agents illustrate the complexity and seriousness of these illegal activities on the one hand and IGIA Police dedication to thorough investigations and proactive measures against organized crime on the other hand.
The agents create and provide counterfeit visas that closely resemble genuine visas to passengers. Despite their attempts to replicate original visas, passengers are frequently apprehended at Immigration Check Posts or airline counters. Even if they manage to bypass Indian authorities, they are often intercepted at the destination country's immigration check, which is one of the most used modus operandis.
Speaking on the donkey routes, DCP Rangnani said, “Agents exploit passengers by sending them to countries offering visa-on-arrival to Indian nationals, organizing routes that facilitate illegal border crossings into destination countries. A common tactic involves sending passengers with fake Schengen visas to accessible European countries like Azerbaijan or Kazakhstan. From there, they are routed through Central American or Caribbean countries such as Guatemala and Costa Rica to the USA”.
In the similar case, a passenger was deported from USA, being illegal migrant. He disclosed that he had gone to USA in 2017 through donkey route with the help of two agents namely Balwan Sharma S/o Baldev Sharma of Panipat, Haryana and Sohan Lal Sharma S/o Baldev Sharma R/o VPO Ahar, Panipat, Haryana, who happens to be real brothers, and charged Rs. 20 lakhs from him for this job. These agents arranged the entire journey, directing him through Dubai, Cuba, Peru, Nicaragua, Mexico, and finally to the USA. Throughout this harrowing journey, the pax went through severe hardships, often going hungry and sleepless. His original passport was confiscated by the agents, and despite reaching the USA and securing work there, his life took a turn in 2023 when he got into a quarrel in Chicago which led to his imprisonment for approximately nine months. Eventually, as an illegal immigrant, he was deported, rendering all his efforts and the risks he took to reach the USA ultimately futile.
Other Modus Operandis
Traveling on Someone Else’s Passport with Similar Facial Features: Agents procure passports of individuals with similar facial features to low-profile passengers. These passports usually have a strong travel history and robust profile, enabling the passengers to navigate immigration process more effectively.
Changing Identity After Blacklisting: Passengers who have been deported and blacklisted often resort to changing their identities to obtain new passports.
Traveling with Disguised Look: Agents help passengers assume the appearance of the individuals in the passports they are using.
Fake Seaman Book: Agents fabricate counterfeit Continuous Discharge Certificates (CDC) or Seaman Books for passengers, enabling them to travel illegally. They also procure fake training certificates in the passenger's name, which is used to obtain the fake CDC.
Fake Indian Passports for Foreign Nationals: Illegal immigrants from countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, etc taking advantage of porous borders enter India and contact local agents in India to procure fake Indian identity documents. These identities are primarily aimed at obtaining Indian passports, as the Indian Passport hold significant international credibility, facilitating easier travel abroad for the immigrants. The agents implicated in these scenarios arrange Indian documents such as Aadhar Cards, Birth Certificates, PAN Cards, etc., using fictitious addresses to support their fraudulent activities. In the current year, many such syndicates have been busted operating mostly out of West Bengal, Delhi and Tamil Nadu.
Tampering with Passports: Agents alter passports by removing pages containing incriminating visas or stamps and replacing them with counterfeit pages. In FIR No. 491/22, a passenger’s passport was tampered with to remove deportation stamps (of Serbia), and the passport was restitched with non-standard thread.
Fake Travel History: Agents affix counterfeit immigration stamps to passengers' passports, creating a false impression of frequent international travel. This fake travel history helps passengers secure visas for desirable countries.
No Departure Case: Passengers who return as deportees without their departure being recorded in the immigration system are known as "No Departure" cases. These passengers often used someone else’s passport for their initial journey; therefore, their departure is not found in the records of immigration system.
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