Mumbai: How trafficking gang beat security system

The Mumbai Crime Branch has discovered a largescale illegal immigration network that helped transport at least 80 Indian nationals to the United States via unauthorised or lsquodunkirsquo routes The racket came to light following a complaint and concerns raised by airport authorities During their probe the Crime Branch identified several security loopholes at the airport and submitted a report to the agencies concerned urging stricter measures Officials also suspect that complicity within certain airport departments may have enabled these travellers to cross immigration with easeAjit Puri alleged human trafficker and brains behind illegal immigration network PicSourcesAccording to sources the network has been active for the past three years and is allegedly operated by one of Indiarsquos biggest human traffickers Ajit Puri along with five other agents Investigations have revealed that the accused used forged visas to send individuals to Canada Turkey the UAE and Poland before they illegally entered the US According to the Crime Branch Puri has at least 15 cases registered against him and comes from a welltodo family but has had a criminal mindset for a long time Officials claimed that he made a huge amount of money from this racket and has at least six girlfriendsThe underlingsApart from him the Crime Branch has arrested five more accused while four remain absconding The arrested individuals have been identified as Roushan Dudhwadkar Sanjay Chavan Sudhir Sawant R P Singh and Raju Chaya alias Imtiaz Each accused had a specific role ranging from procuring passports from Canada and altering passport photos using specialised software to coordinating with passengers at the airport and guiding them through each step of the processEach arrested accused had a specific role ranging from procuring passports from Canada and altering passport photos to coordinating with passengers at the airport Representation PiciStockOfficials revealed that one of the accused would also book a flight ticket for himself on a different airline scheduled to depart after the passengerrsquos Canadabound flight He would remain at the airport using AirPods to provide realtime instructions to the travellerOfficials stated that most of those trafficked had travelled using forged visas The investigation uncovered a sophisticated system in which the agents first identified individuals willing to pay between R30 to R60 lakh for illegal immigration These details were then shared with associates in Canada who found an Indian passport holder with a valid visa of at least six monthsldquoThe agents would then conduct an auction for the selected passport sending it back to India via courier The photo on the original passport was carefully replaced with that of the person attempting to travel illegally creating what is known as a lsquophotochanged passportrsquo or PC passportrdquo an officer privy to investigating has revealedTravellers were instructed to carry two envelopesmdashone with the original passport and a fake visa and another with the PC passport a valid visa and a fake boarding pass Agents trained them on how to respond to airport officials ensuring they remained confident and avoided suspicionThe racketeersrsquo modus operandiHere is a stepbystep breakdown of how the syndicate dodged agencies and the loopholes identified by the Crime BranchAirport entry and checkInAt the airport passengers initially present their original passport original tickets and fake visa to clear CISF security and complete airline checkin Since CISF lacks a system to verify visa authenticity they only check whether the passport and ticket match the traveller before allowing them to proceedBaggage counterAt the airlinersquos baggage counter the passenger presents the PC passport which contains a valid visa and original tickets Sources revealed that airlines do not have full access to passport details but verify documents using UV lights Since the passport itself is genuine and only the photo is altered the forgery remains undetected ldquoThe airlines have a mechanism to check whether a visa is valid or not so passengers are always instructed to present a photochanged passport with a valid visa Once this check is cleared the airline issues a boarding passrdquo an officer explainedImmigration checkBefore reaching immigration the passenger hides the PC passport visa and the airlineissued boarding pass At the immigration counter they present their original passport since immigration officers have the tools to verify passport authenticity However immigration does not have a system to confirm whether the visa and boarding pass are valid Sources revealed that airport agents guided passengers to specific immigration counters ensuring they approached the most favourable officers The immigration officer only checks the passport fake visa and fake boarding pass which pass the UV light test and allows the passenger to proceedFinal switch and boardingOnce past immigration the passenger switches back to the PC passport and uses a rubberstamp duplicate of the immigration seal to finalise the deception The forged stamp is then disposed of before boarding the flight Sources revealed that during disposal the agent ensures that no ink from the fake stamp touches the travellerrsquos hands Additionally a R10 coin is attached to the stamp using chewing gum to increase its weight ensuring it sinks properly and does not resurfaceDonkey routeUpon arrival in Canada another agent facilitates travellersrsquo illegal entry into the US via the lsquodonkey routersquo for an additional fee of 8000 Sources have revealed that given the scale and complexity of the operation US officials have expressed interest in collaborating with the Mumbai Crime Branch on further investigations