Key accused in illegal immigration racket arrested in Mehsana after 2.5 years on the run

In a significant breakthrough, the Gujarat State Monitoring Cell (SMC) has apprehended Bipin Somabhai Darji, a key accused in a large-scale human trafficking racket linked to the Illegal (kabbutar baazi) Immigration scam — a term used to describe the illegal smuggling of people to the United States via forged documents.

Acting on intelligence inputs from both technical and human sources, two police teams tracked Darji to Vijapur in Mehsana district. He was arrested near Bijapur Chowkdi at approximately 10 pm on August 1 and brought to the SMC office in Gandhinagar for interrogation.

Darji, who was on the run for over two years, had previously evaded arrest despite a warrant issued under sections of the CrPC. The Ministry of Home Affairs had issued a Look Out Circular based on his passport details, and a reward of ₹25,000 had been announced for any information leading to his capture.

According to police, Darji was an associate of the main accused, Bharat alias Bobby Rambhai Patel, a resident of Mehsana who is absconding. The duo is alleged to have orchestrated a criminal conspiracy involving the creation of forged passports and visas to send Indian citizens illegally to the United States. They allegedly posed as immigration facilitators, fabricated documents, and used fake identities to deceive foreign embassies.

“Darji admitted during interrogation that he was responsible for gathering clients, collecting their documents, and coordinating with other agents for further processing. He also handled payments from the individuals being trafficked,” said R G Khant, in-charge Deputy Superintendent of Police, SMC, Gandhinagar.

Police recovered a mobile phone, a four-wheeler, ₹1,200 in cash, and seized assets totalling ₹5.06 lakh during the operation. Darji reportedly moved between Visnagar, Unjha, Bijapur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Ranuja, and Mumbai over the past two-and-a-half years to avoid being captured.

So far, 12 individuals have been arrested in connection with the case. Three of them, including the main accused Patel, have been in judicial custody. Chargesheets have been filed, and the investigation continues as authorities seek further evidence and the remaining fugitives.