Police trace fake visa racket to Surat; mastermind among six agents held

New Delhi: The IGI Airport police busted a sophisticated fake visa syndicate with the arrest of six agents, including the alleged mastermind. The operation led police to an illegal visa manufacturing factory in Gujarat's Surat, where high-quality fake visas were produced.The investigation began on Sept 28, when 21-year-old Kuldeep, a resident of Haryana, was caught attempting to board a flight to Canada on a fake visa. DCP (IGI Airport) Usha Rangnani said, "During the scrutiny of his travel documents, officers found a fake Canadian visit visa affixed on his passport. He disclosed that he paid an agent, Sandeep Kumar, who had promised him a guaranteed visa for Rs 18 lakh, and an initial payment of Rs 5 lakh was made." Police subsequently arrested Kumar, who revealed a larger network involving several associates, including Gaurav, Nitin, Sarabjeet Kaur, Gagandeep Kaur and Reena Kaushal, police said. These agents were allegedly active on social media, advertisingtheir services under the guise of providing "guaranteed Canadian visas", even for those whose applications were rejected earlier.The investigation quickly led to Prateek Shah (35), also known as Abhijit, who used to operate the illegal visa factory. Based in Surat's River Drive Society, Shah was apprehended while he was hastily packing up his equipment, preparing to flee after he learned about the arrest of his associates. He claimed to be starting the operation to support his family after struggling to earn enough despite having a degree in electrical engineering from NG Patel Polytechnic College in Gujarat.He admitted to using advanced tools and software, including Coral Draw, to produce high-quality fake visas. "His factory was equipped with sophisticated machinery that helped him create realistic counterfeit documents. He revealed that he received requests for fake visas from his associates, who provided the necessary personal details of individuals seeking visas," said a police officer. During the raid at the factory, police seized an extensive array of counterfeit materials, including 14 counterfeit visa stickers and rubber stamps of various countries, 16 dyes representing countries such as Canada, Serbia and Bosnia, and 80 blank permanent resident cards ready for use. Several original passports were also found.
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