Delhi Cops nab 108 fake travel agents within six months
New Delhi, July 13
The Delhi Police have arrested 108 fraudulent travel agents over the past six months, marking a 200 per cent increase from the 51 arrests made during the same period in 2023. Arrests have been made nationwide, including Punjab, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
“The police have shifted their focus towards holding agents accountable rather than solely targeting passengers, who may unknowingly fall victim to illegal immigration schemes,” said a police official.
A comprehensive review of pending investigations, where only passengers were arrested previously, led to investigating officers being tasked with tracking down and prosecuting the offenders, the official added. As a result, numerous agents have been arrested.
Furthermore, a significant number of lookout circulars have been issued for agents who have fled abroad or remain untraceable.
“Several proclaimed offenders, mostly from cases over a decade old, have also been arrested this year,” said DCP, IGI Airport, Usha Rangnani.
Many victims had unknowingly become involved in these schemes, paying substantial sums. In a recent case, a man attempted to go abroad five times through an agent named Sultan, but was unsuccessful each time, ultimately landing him in jail. Sultan, who was arrested on March 12, had charged the victim Rs 50 lakh for his services.
The DCP said, “Sultan arranged for the man to travel to Kolkata, intending to send him to America via Vietnam. However, the passenger was recalled due to unclear travel arrangements.”
“Subsequently, in December 2023, Sultan provided him with an air ticket to Qatar, along with a visa and travel insurance. The man departed to Qatar from the Delhi airport, stayed there for two days but could not proceed further, and returned to India,” detailed the DCP.
Later, Sultan sent the man to Doha, Qatar, this time arranging a Brazilian visa and a ticket. Upon arriving at the Doha airport for his journey to Brazil, the passenger was informed by immigration officers that his visa was fraudulent, resulting in his deportation to India.
The passenger approached Sultan again, who arranged an alternative route through Dubai. The passenger travelled from Amritsar to Dubai, where he met Sultan’s associate, who provided the ticket and visa for Nicaragua. Despite departing for Nicaragua, the flight was redirected back to Mumbai due to a complaint lodged during a stop in France that all passengers on the plane were illegal immigrants.
In January 2024, Sultan assured the passenger of arranging a different route to the US, subsequently sending him to Bhutan, then to Bangkok, before returning to Dubai. Sultan then planned to send the passenger to America via Dakar. Meeting Sultan’s associate in Dubai once more, the passenger received tickets, visas and insurance. However, after reaching Dakar, the further travel arrangements couldn’t be finalised, and the passenger returned to Dubai.
“Following this, he remained in Dubai for about a month. Later, Sultan provided visa, tickets and hotel bookings for Almaty, Kazakhstan, with onward travel to America via Tashkent. Upon arrival in Almaty, immigration authorities discovered two missing pages in the passport, leading to his deportation. He finally landed in jail for illegal immigration, losing his hard-earned money,” another official said.
