New Delhi: The Delhi Police have arrested two Haryana-based agents for allegedly facilitating the trip of one individual to Canada on someone else’s passport.
The matter came to light when the individual travelling with a passport issued under the name of one Maria Maurice Correa—a resident of Mumbai—arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport to catch a flight from Delhi to Montreal.
According to the police, it was found during checks that the photograph affixed on the passport did not match the individual travelling. Upon questioning, the passenger revealed her real identity was Foram Dilipkumar Patel, a native of Jornang in Gujarat.
An FIR was registered for cheating by impersonation and a probe has been launched into the matter. Patel was arrested.
“The accused disclosed that some of her relatives had gone to Canada to earn a better livelihood and quick money. She came in touch with an agent, Monu alias Mandeep, through her uncle Bhavesh Patel. Agent Mandeep assured her travel to Canada for Rs 33 lakh. He also told her that he would arrange for someone else’s passport for her to travel, with help of his associates. Foram Patel paid Rs 2 lakh and the rest of the amount was to be paid after she reached Montreal,” Additional Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) Usha Rangnani said.
Sources said Correa had left India in 2019 on a different passport. “She had reported that the passport the accused used in this case was lost. We are investigating if she was aware of the matter or had anything to do with it,” a senior police officer said.
During investigation, the role of another suspect, Manish Goyal, surfaced. He was arrested from Haryana’s Rohtak. “After questioning Manish Goyal, he confessed to the crime and said that he had been working with Mandeep since the last couple of years. Mandeep duped people in the name of sending them abroad and providing job opportunities there. The accused also revealed that he started working with him in order to earn quick and easy money,” Rangnani said.
According to the police, Goyal said he collected the passport issued in the name of Maria Maurice Correa on the directions of Mandeep.
The document was taken from one of his associates in Punjab and then handed over to Mandeep at the Delhi airport.
Another suspect, Jimmy Pious, who was allegedly working with Manish Goyal and Mandeep, was arrested from Gurugram in Haryana. Police said Jimmy had earlier worked at the airport, and was talking to Patel on call while she was at the airport and was directing her.
“He was tasked to guide Patel to the immigration counter once she was inside. so that she remained confident and did not get caught for impersonating another person,” the officer said. Mandeep, meanwhile, is absconding.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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