Immigration racket busted, duped people of Rs 35 crore

Tribune News Service

Mohali, September 29

The police claim to have busted an immigration racket with the arrest of three of its members, who duped people of about Rs 35 crore.

The kingpin of the racket, Sarabjit Singh Sandhu of Amritsar, a purported immigration agent, used to impersonate the Chief Secretary of Haryana, flanked by private security guards carrying arms in SUVs fitted with beacon. He was arrested from Shivjot Enclave, Kharar, on September 22.

His two accomplices, Rahul of Bilaspur and Ravi, were arrested recently.

Modus operandi

• Sandhu duped people on the pretext of facilitating immigration services
• Used to paste fake visa stickers and put fake stamps of foreign countries on their passports
• When a victim reached the airport to board the flight, the authorities detected the fraud and complained to the police

Seizure made from accused

• Fake ID cards of Punjab police cops and the Chief Secretary of Haryana
• PR papers of Canada and the US
• Fake driving licence of Haryana
• 60 passports with fake visa
• About Rs 50 lakh in cash and Rs 20 lakh in bank accounts
• Properties worth Rs 70 lakh bought by accused
• A licensed pistol issued on a fake address of Patiala

The police had recovered several fake identity cards of high-profile government officials and four walkie-talkie sets from him. A licensed .45-bore pistol, which has been issued on a fake address of Patiala, was also recovered from him.

The police said Sandhu duped people on the pretext of facilitating immigration services. He used to paste fake visa stickers and put stamps of foreign countries on their passports. When a victim reached the airport to board the flight, the authorities detected the fraud and complained to the police.

Sandhu, who impersonated the Chief Secretary of Haryana, had put a fake flag on his luxury vehicle with blue beacon atop it. While visiting a client, two vehicles escorted him. He had employed eight or 10 private security guards, who wore police uniform and carried arms. Several cases are already registered against him in Punjab. A case under Sections 406, 417, 420, 46, 468, 471 and 474 of the IPC and the Arms Act has been registered against him at the City Kharar police station.

The Mohali SSP, Dr Sandeep Garg, said, “Sandhu had established links with travel agents in many cities of Punjab. They used to give him passports in bulk, around 30-40, believing him to be an influencer. The accused sourced visa stickers and fake accounts from Rahul. Sandhu used to pay 20 per cent of the money charged from victims to him.

“Fake ID cards of a Punjab police cops and the Chief Secretary of Haryana, PR papers of Canada and the US, and a fake driving licence of Haryana have been recovered from him. As many as 61 fake accounts have been detected and 60 passports stamped with fake visa recovered. About Rs 50 lakh in cash and Rs 20 lakh in his back account has been recovered. Properties worth Rs 70 lakh worth bought by him have been found. He had three offices in Mohali, two in Dera Bassi and one in Sector 82.”

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