157 passports seized from fake travel agency

Tribune News Service 

Amritsar, April 29 

The fake travel agency — Wing Enterprises — busted by the police recently had never sent any person abroad. It was opened only to cheat and mint money by luring vulnerable youths in search of green pastures through advertisements in vernacular newspapers. 

This was revealed during the interrogation of Gurmeet Singh, owner of the agency and resident of Chhina Bidhi Chand in Tarn Taran, who was brought on a police remand. 

During investigations the police recovered as many as 157 original passports from their possession. The police arrested another person, identified as Davinder Singh alias Banti of Rana Garden Colony, in the case. He used to prepare fake documents, including work permit for aspiring victims. The police recovered fake documents, a computer, colour printer, CPU and keyboard from his possession. 

One of their accomplices identified as Sandeep Singh of Jahangir village is yet to be arrested. 

During investigations the police zeroed in on around 15 more travelling agencies out of which 11 had already shut down their operations recently. All these agencies used to get medical examination of aspiring candidates conducted from a Jalandhar-based diagnostic centre. The police is also ascertaining the role of diagnostic centre in the racket. Police Commissioner Amar Singh Chahal said a medical examination record of around 6,000 aspirants, who were sent by these 15 agencies, was found from the centre.

He said, “Interestingly, the company had never sent anyone to foreign shores while in big advertisements in vernacular newspapers and media they claimed to provide work visa for Gulf countries, New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, England, Canada etc.” Whenever, any person raised his voice, agents used to return half of his money while stating that the remaining amount was spent in completing formalities. 

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Lakhbir Singh said a majority of the victims belonged to Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Orissa, besides Punjab. Following the interrogation of Gurmeet Singh the police managed to lay its hands on Davinder Singh, who used to prepare fake permits and other relevant documents of victims. The ADCP said Gurmeet used to take Rs 20,000 from the victim as advance and later Rs 50,000 after completion of the work. He said more arrests were likely to be made in the near future.