Canada-based agent held in 2019 forged document case
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Take your experience further with Premium access. Thought-provoking Opinions, Expert Analysis, In-depth Insights and other Member Only BenefitsA Canada-based agent, wanted in a six-year-old case for allegedly sending passengers abroad on forged documents, has been arrested in Ahmedabad, Delhi Police said on Friday.
The accused, Guramritpal Singh Multani Pali (52), is wanted in a 2019 case involving the deportation of nine Indian nationals from Ethiopia for travelling with forged Continuous Discharge Certificates (CDCs), allegedly issued in the name of the Government of Samoa. He has seven similar cases registered against him and was a national-level Kabaddi player before turning to the immigration racket.
According to police, Pali was apprehended at Ahmedabad airport on September 29, shortly after returning to India. He was brought to New Delhi on Thursday for further investigation.
During interrogation, he told police he had once represented a university in Punjab and a sports club in Canada as a Kabaddi player, before shifting to the business of sending people abroad using fake documents for quick profit, an official said.
The police added Pali moved to Canada with his family in 1995 and obtained permanent residency in 1999. In 2019, he arranged fake CDCs for two passengers through an associate, Manjeet from Jalandhar, charging Rs 20 lakh each. Five other accused have already been arrested in the same case, the officer said.
He faces seven cases of a similar nature, most of which were registered at the IGI Airport police station between 2009 and 2021. His previous cases include charges of cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and violations under the Passports Act.
“The 2019 case was registered following a complaint by immigration authorities after the Samoan government confirmed that the CDCs recovered from the deported passengers were forged,” the officer added.
Notably, in the month of September alone, a total of 52 individuals have been arrested or booked in cases related to fake or forged visas and passports, the official said.