Hyderabad: Immigration officials at the Rajiv Gandhi International (RGI) Airport have intercepted at least six passengers over the past two months for allegedly attempting to travel abroad using forged documents purportedly issued by the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) to secure jobs as seafarers in the UK, Europe and the Middle East.Suspecting the involvement of an organised criminal network, the RGI Airport police registered four cases and transferred them to the Central Crime Station (CCS) for a detailed investigation.The first case was reported on May 2, when immigration officials intercepted Jashanpreet Singh (20), a farmer from Bhagwanpur village in Kapurthala district of Punjab, at the international departure terminal while he was attempting to board IndiGo flight 6E-1315 to Doha en route to Manchester in the UK.Singh claimed to be a seafarer travelling to join a vessel in Manchester. He produced a Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC), the mandatory identity document for seafarers, along with a Form-1 purportedly issued by an authorised agency approved by the DG Shipping and his passport.However, when immigration officials verified the Form-1 on the DG Shipping portal, they found it to be forged.The accused was handed over to the RGI Airport police, who registered a case against him under Sections 318(4) (cheating), 336(3) (forgery for the purpose of cheating) and 340(2) (using a forged document as genuine) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).On May 9, immigration officials intercepted Pankaj (19), from Gujarat, and Harkishanbhai Bhikhubhai Tandel (34), from Rajasthan, while they were attempting to board flight XY-326 to Riyadh en route to Turkey. They too were allegedly carrying a CDC along with a forged Form-1.Ten days later, on May 19, Lamoria Shivraj Vijendra (24), a native of Rajasthan, was intercepted at the immigration counter while attempting to board IndiGo flight 6E-1495 to Ras Al Khaimah with a fake Form-1.In the latest case, on June 8, immigration officials intercepted Deepak Chaudhary (25), from Uttar Pradesh, and Anjali (26), from Haryana, when they approached the immigration counter posing as seafarers travelling to join the MV Norwing Helm shipping vessel in the UK. They were attempting to board Oman Air flight WY-236 to Muscat en route to London.“When the immigration officials checked the Form-1 details on the DG Shipping portal, they found that the original forms had been issued to Santosh Mahto and Juran Kirtaniya. The accused had forged the documents by replacing the original photographs while retaining the names,” an RGI Airport police officer said.Immigration officials suspect that an organised criminal network is behind these attempts to send Indians abroad using forged seafarer documents.“All those intercepted belong to northern and western states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. Agents collect money from them and provide forged Form-1 documents. The CDCs are obtained from small island nations after candidates complete short-term courses to meet the eligibility criteria for seafarers,” an immigration official said.Recognising that the modus operandi points to an organised racket, the Hyderabad additional CP (Crimes) recently transferred two of the cases to the CCS for a comprehensive investigation to identify the masterminds behind the trafficking attempts.“As part of the initial investigation, we will question the arrested accused to identify the agents involved and unravel the network,” a CCS official said.
