Last month, the Mumbai Police arrested six individuals involved in a major human trafficking racket that helped at least 80 people migrate illegally to Canada and the US.
For the past six months, the gang targeted individuals who had faced multiple rejections for visa applications. Preying on the desperation of these people, they charged hefty sums between Rs 30 and 75 lakhs. The majority of victims were from Gujarat, hoping to reunite with their families abroad.
Ajit Puri, the leader of this syndicate, is believed to be one of the city’s biggest players in this illicit business. With a history of repeat offenses, Puri has been involved in 14 registered cases from 2000 to 2010 and has been arrested multiple times, only to secure bail each time.
Puri’s gang consisted of DTP operators who forged documents and even included the brother of a former Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) councillor, who was also arrested. The gang’s operations spread across Gujarat, where agents would contact people whose visa applications had been rejected and link them to Puri.
Once payment was made, the gang would acquire a passport from a citizen already holding a valid visa to either the US or Canada. These passports, often sold for around Rs 5 lakh, were then altered by DTP operators like Sudhir Sawant, who would change the photograph on the passport to that of the individual seeking to travel.
To avoid detection, the gang ensured that the age on the altered passport matched the aspiring traveler’s age. Sanjay Chavan, another member, played a key role in the passport stitching process, which involved significant expertise.
The gang exploited loopholes in the airport security system. Airline counters and immigration officials lacked access to crucial passport and visa verification details, allowing the gang’s counterfeit passports to pass through undetected.
At the airport, Roshan Dudhwadkar, the BMC councillor’s brother, would meet the travelers under the guise of catching a later flight. He provided a new SIM card, phone, and Bluetooth device to guide the traveler through the process. The gang member would lead the traveler step by step through check-in, security, and immigration without raising suspicion.
The traveler would swap the forged passport with their own once through security, using a foldable rubber seal to add a fake immigration stamp and boarding pass. After this, the traveler would board the flight, passing through airport checks with minimal scrutiny.
The racket was eventually exposed when airport officials noticed a pattern of monthly flights to Thailand by Dudhwadkar, with others traveling to the US or Canada. Following this, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch launched an investigation, leading to Dudhwadkar’s arrest and the dismantling of the entire operation.
The authorities are now working on strengthening airport security protocols to prevent similar scams in the future.
