CID crime continues probe, two held from Mehsana
Updated: Jan 22nd, 2024
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| Illegal Immigrants (img: IANS) |
Updated on Jan 22, at 10.30 a.m.
The CID (crime) has arrested a couple from Mehsana who were involved in illegally sending an individual abroad, receiving ₹55 lakh for it.
The agent couple, Falguni and Pushkar Raval, were arrested on Jan 20. They allegedly took ₹10 lakh in advance from the individual. They provided a tourist visa to the individual who stayed in Dubai for 2-3 months and later travelled on the Nicaragua-bound flight of Legend Airlines, which was grounded by French authorities.
The couple will be under the police remand till Jan 24.
Updated on Jan 16, at 12.26 p.m.
As the CID (Crime) delves deeper into investigation, the intrigue surrounding the detained flight at Vatry airport on Dec 25 continues to unfold.
The mobile phones of passengers have been seized for further probe as the agents made them delete all the chat data and call history ahead of the detention of the flight.
The seized phones have been sent to a forensic science laboratory for data recovery.
Statements from numerous passengers shed light on a previously concealed network. Initially individuals were routed to Mexico through Uzbekistan, Europe, El Salvador, and other Central American countries. However, recent changes in ‘visa-on-arrival’ facilities prompted a shift in tactics. The agents had started sending people illegally to Mexico via Nicaragua.
From Nicaragua, the US aspirants had to travel 3,200 kms by car to reach the US-Mexico border. To provide a perspective on the distance, Delhi to Kanyakumari covers approx 2,836 kms.
For these journeys, the agents used to charge $3,000 (approx ₹2.50 lakh) from the aspirants.
An organised network of agents operating in India and the US provides illegal passage for people into the US at a whopping fee of around ₹1 cr. Through the illegal method, the agents provide special training on how to seek asylum in the US when tried at a court.
A work permit in the US is provided after one receives asylum; however, the asylum seeker cannot leave the USA for five to ten years.
An agent involved in such a practice mentioned that those nabbed in this process are kept in custody by the authorities for one to two months. Meanwhile, they have to apply for asylum in the US.
He then explains the process that the applicants then have to present a reason for entering the country illegally. Their application is sent to the court, and the reasons are to be presented in front of a judge. They are granted asylum if their reasons are found to be legitimate.
The duration of this asylum lasts for five to ten years, after which they are officially granted US citizenship.
As per the agent, this process also carries risks, and if the reason is not deemed satisfactory, the asylum seekers are booked for trespassing, and they are deported to India. They also face legal action in India.
Candidates prepared to present a variety of reasons
The agent mentioned that a case-by-case preparation of different candidates from India is done for their asylum.
If a woman is caught entering the US, she gives the reason of being physically and mentally tortured by her husband and in-laws in India and can then be deemed as being homeless.
A person trespassing with his family can give the reason of unemployment in India and his inability to get a job here. And he can justify his risky illegal entry for the sake of his children’s future.
Apart from this, reasons for religious or caste discrimination can also be given. Along with this, the inability to land a job due to reservations in India or getting no capital to do business can also be provided.
Asylum is then granted if the court finds such reasons suitable.
Updated on Jan 13, at 12.31 p.m.
“The Nicaragua-bound Legend Airlines possibly took three trips in December 2023, illegally boarding at least 750 Indians, including 200 Gujaratis, to Mexico,” said Dr Rajkumar Pandian, additional director general of police (ADGP), CID (crime).
The police found fake tickets to Nicaragua from the 66 deported individuals. Therefore, the help of central agencies has been sought in the investigation.
In the interrogation, it was revealed that many consultancy agents asked their clients to delete mobile data.
The CID (crime) revealed that most of the individuals travelling illegally hailed from Punjab.
A network of advocates was also prepared by the agents for legal help.
They helped the Indians get asylum after they illegally entered the US. For people from Punjab, they used to justify that Punjabis in India were being oppressed in the name of ‘Khalistani’.
Updated on Jan 12, at 12.20 p.m.
After the interrogation of 66 individuals who were deported from France, the CID (crime) has finally filed a complaint against agents.
The deportees included Gujaratis from Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Anand, and other states of India.
The CID (crime) investigation interrogated and obtained statements from 66 individuals.
With the statements given by individuals and proof including call records, chats, documents, and transactions, the CID (crime) booked a total of 14 agents.
These agents are from Gujarat, Punjab, Mumbai, Delhi, and Dubai and have been illegally sending people to foreign lands.
The investigation revealed that a network of advocates was also prepared by the agents for legal help.
The police will also trace people who illegally shifted to the US with the help of these agents.
Updated on Jan 2, at 6 p.m.
In a crackdown on illegal immigration, the CID crime in Gujarat has unearthed a large-scale operation involving illegal transportation of Indian citizens to the United States (US).
An order from the additional director general of police (DGP), CID crime and railways, revealed that a flight from Dubai, which halted for refueling at the Vitry Airport in France, was found carrying 303 passengers, including 260 Indian nationals.
Notably, 96 of these passengers were identified as residents of Gujarat.
The deported individuals, identified through an email from the FRRO Bureau of Immigration in Mumbai, included 66 Gujarati citizens. Most of them have studied till 8th-12th grade and are from Mehsana and Ahmedabad.
Immigrant agents running an illicit nexus
The CID crime’s investigation brought to light a complex network of agents facilitating such illegal migration.
These agents, primarily operating from Gujarat, targeted individuals with education levels ranging from 8th to 12th grade, promising them illegal entry into the US.
The journey, routed from Ahmedabad to Dubai and then to Nicaragua, cost each person between ₹60 lakh to ₹80 lakh. The investigation also revealed that the agents were paid $1,000 (₹83,316) to $3,000 (₹2.5 lakh) just for crossing the American border.
The investigation also delved into the financial transactions for the flight tickets and the process through which visas were obtained. It was found that these individuals’ passports lacked the necessary stamps.
Racket to be probed inside-out
The CID Crime has requested comprehensive details from the Immigration FRRO in Ahmedabad about all the 66 passengers who traveled from various Indian cities to Dubai between Dec 10 and 20, 2023.
This inquiry extends to uncovering the agents involved in the racket, the process of obtaining Dubai visas, and the financial transactions behind these operations.
The CID Crime has also called 55 of these individuals for questioning after obtaining statements following visits to their homes.
This has led to the identification of approximately 15 agents involved in this illegal immigration racket.
(Source: IANS)
- Edited for style
