On September 2, Sandeep from Haryana was apprehended at Delhi airport while attempting to travel to Italy using a counterfeit Swedish visa. During questioning, he disclosed that numerous individuals from his village had previously traveled abroad using similar fake visas. His confession led to the exposure of a major fake visa operation based in Delhi, which had been active for five years. This racket had produced between 4,000 and 5,000 forged visas and amassed approximately ₹300 crore in illegal profits.
Sandeep revealed he obtained the fake visa through an agent named Asif Ali for ₹10 lakh. Consequently, the police arrested Asif Ali along with his associates, Shiva Gautam and Naveen Rana. During their interrogation, Shiva Gautam named two additional agents connected to the network—Balbir Singh and Jaswinder Singh—who were also taken into custody. Further investigation revealed that the fake visas for various countries were being manufactured in a factory located in Delhi’s Tilak Nagar area, run by Manoj Monga.
The police subsequently raided the Tilak Nagar factory and arrested Manoj Monga, who holds a diploma in graphic design. About five years ago, Manoj met Jaideep Singh, who encouraged him to leverage his graphic design skills to produce counterfeit visas and provided him with the necessary equipment. According to police reports, the factory produced 30-60 fake visas per month, with each visa sticker being completed in just 20 minutes. Each counterfeit visa was sold for ₹8-10 lakh. The operation relied on communication platforms such as Telegram, Signal, and WhatsApp and had a complex network of local agents who helped connect clients seeking jobs abroad.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, IGI Airport, Usha Rangrani, reported that six individuals have been arrested so far. The authorities have recovered 16 Nepali passports, two Indian passports, 30 visa stickers, 23 visa stamps, and various pieces of equipment used in the forgery, including dye machines, printers, laminating sheets, laptops, and UV machines.
