Delhi Police arrest travel agent from Punjab in fake UK visa case  

The Delhi Police have arrested a 35-year-old travel agent from Punjab in a case of arranging a fake UK visa for a passenger in 2022, an official said on Wednesday.

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Amit Bhardwaj alias Gavi, a resident of Punjab's Kotkapura, had assured the passenger to arrange his journey to the UK via the UAE, with the help of his associates, for Rs 12 lakh, the official said.

However, the plan fell through when Anil (25) from Haryana was intercepted at the IGI Airport in Delhi during immigration clearance for Sharjah.

Upon scrutiny, the visa affixed to his passport was found fake, prompting authorities to register a case on March 1, 2022, under the now-defunct IPC and the Passports Act.

A police officer said Anil, during interrogation, revealed that he had paid Rs 12 lakh to Bhardwaj and his associates for the UK visa and job opportunity.

According to police, Bhardwaj and two other agents, namely Karanjeet Singh and Gurmeet Singh, had arranged the fake visa.

Karanjeet and Gurmeet were arrested earlier in the case.

Following their arrest, the name of Bhardwaj surfaced as the key middleman. Despite several attempts, he kept evading arrest, leading to non-bailable warrant proceedings against him.

Acting on a tip-off, police raided possible hideouts and succeeded in apprehending Bhardwaj from Punjab.

During questioning, he confessed to his involvement in the case. He disclosed that he is a graduate with a diploma in multimedia programming but turned to illegal visa facilitation after facing financial hardship. He admitted to receiving Rs 2 lakh as commission for his role in the deal, police claimed.