In a significant breakthrough, immigration authorities at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) recently unearthed a major visa scam involving a Rs1 lakh fake visa. The scam led to the arrest of two individuals, including Amritsar-based Rahul Arora, who is accused of masterminding the fraudulent scheme.
The scam unfolded when a man named Kanwaljit, lured by the promise of a Greece trip for Rs1 lakh, agreed to a plan set by Arora. According to the agreement, Kanwaljit would travel to Thailand first and then fly to Greece. Arora, allegedly involved in the visa racket, arranged a fake Greece visa for Kanwaljit.
On November 20, Kanwaljit booked a SpiceJet flight to Bangkok, where he encountered no issues, thanks to Thailand’s visa-on-arrival policy for Indian citizens. However, during his return trip, discrepancies in his passport were noticed by the Bureau of Immigration at IGI Airport. The officers discovered residue marks on one of the passport pages, indicating the presence of a removed sticker. Upon further inspection, it became evident that the Greece visa had been tampered with, revealing the scam.
Kanwaljit, unable to provide satisfactory answers to the authorities, was detained for questioning. Investigations revealed that Arora had affixed a fake Greece visa to Kanwaljit’s passport for a fee of Rs1 lakh. The accused further attempted to dupe immigration officers by routing the trip through Thailand.
When Kanwaljit removed the fake visa to board his flight, it led to his exposure. Upon questioning, Kanwaljit confessed to the fraudulent scheme. He was subsequently charged under various sections of the IPC and Passport Act.
Meanwhile, Arora was traced to his hometown, where he admitted to his role in the racket. He revealed that the scam had been running for several years, targeting unsuspecting individuals in search of visas.
The IGI Airport Police have registered cases against both Kanwaljit and Rahul Arora under multiple sections of the law, including sections 318(4), 336(3), and 340(2) of the IPC. The authorities are continuing their investigation into the full extent of the scam and potential other victims involved.
