The Gujarat police have sought assistance from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the illegal immigration scam through the Nicaragua route.
The Gujarat CID has formally requested the CBI assistance to uncover more details about the agents. The CID has obtained the names and contact details of 15 agents involved in this scheme.
These agents were involved in making forged documents to get visas and passports for illegal immigration. They were reportedly running consultancy agencies in Gujarat and are also linked to a larger scam involving more than 200 illegal immigrants sent to the US.
The police have named the accused currently evading capture. Among them are Kishan Patel, Ravi Parmar, and an unidentified associate, all linked to HopeRays Education located at Kudasan in Gandhinagar. The firm is accused of forging Class 10 and 12 mark sheets to secure student visas for their clients. Ankit Patel and another unnamed associate from Empire Overseas in Gandhinagar are accused of forging certificates from MS University, Vadodara, and HNGU University, Patan.
Nirav Mehta and one accomplice of Hi-Tech Education in Ahmedabad stand accused of forging certificates of a university in Chhattisgarh. Dinesh Baldaniya of Laxmi Overseas Consultancy, also in Ahmedabad, is implicated for forging certificates of Saurashtra University. Three suspects from Outsource India, Ahmedabad, and one from Future Planning Visa Consultancy, Kudasan, are accused of forging experience certificates and bank statements.
Investigations have uncovered that victims were willing to pay substantial sums, ranging from Rs 60 lakh to Rs 80 lakh, to these local immigration agents. These payments were for assistance in illegally crossing into the US from Nicaragua, via Dubai, and then through the US-Mexico border. Interestingly, the majority of Gujaratis involved in Nicaragua scam have educational qualifications ranging from Class 8 to 12.
Meanwhile, a Gujarati woman is suspected of booking the chartered flight that was later grounded at France’s Vatry airport. The woman, with a history of fraudulent visa schemes, is part of a group from Gujarat, Telangana, Delhi, and Mumbai.
Despite attempts by the Gujarat police to locate her, she remains elusive, along with an accomplice also believed to be involved in the immigration scam.
Investigators also tracked down the Gujaratis who returned from France. “We encountered hostility from some of the immigrants during this process,” an investigator shared.
With lawyers ready on other side, the illegal immigrants were to surrender in US The smugglers’ plan involved having the illegal immigrants travel from Nicaragua to Mexico by bus, then illegally cross into the US and surrender themselves. Lawyers were reportedly arranged in advance for the immigrants.
It was confirmed that all Gujaratis on the chartered flight have returned to their homes.
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