New Delhi: Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport Police has dismantled an interstate syndicate accused of supplying counterfeit French D-type visas to Indian job seekers. Four individuals—an agent from Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, and three passengers—have been arrested, officials said. The racket surfaced on Oct 28, when immigration officers at Terminal 3 intercepted three Indian-origin passengers attempting to travel to Paris using forged D-type visas. The documents were found to be counterfeit and missing key security features. The passengers were identified as Naveeraj Subramaniyam (23) and Prabhakaran Senthilkumar (28), both from Namakkal and Mohan Gandhi Elangovan (38) from Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. All three were arrested, and a case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Passport Act at the IGI Airport police station. During questioning, Subramaniyam claimed his brother had arranged the fake visa for Rs 6 lakh, while the other two said they paid a Namakkal-based agent Rs 12 lakh each. Police later identified the agent as V Kannan (55), who was traced to Namakkal and arrested. “Kannan told the team that he runs a govt-affiliated Industrial Training Institute in Paramathi and also operates an overseas consultancy in Velur,” said DCP (IGI) Vichitra Veer. He added that Kannan had named an associate, Sathik Syed alias Abdul Hakim, from Madurai, who is currently on the run. Investigators revealed that the syndicate had targeted at least 16 job seekers, promising warehouse jobs in Paris. Police said the accused conducted brief interviews to appear legitimate before collecting payments and arranging fake visas. Payments were taken partly in cash and partly through bank transfers. According to IGIA Police, 26 people—including six agents—were arrested or booked last month in cases involving forged visas or passports. Additionally, 28 touts were arrested during the same period.
