| Font Size |
The arrest was made after a team raided the office of Ghai, who runs a business of airline ticketing, late on Saturday night.
A resident of Choti Baradari in Jalandhar, Ghai is a high-profile businessman with a vast network in the air travel business. He was the operational director of Air Slovakia ticketing in Jalandhar and also runs Ghai Aviation at Tazara, Rajasthan, Bipasha Aviation at Jalandhar and a taxi business in Amritsar. Besides, he was set to open a pilot training institute in Rajasthan.
The accused has been arrested in connection with the theft of 48 passports from the Regional Passport Office in Sector 34, Chandigarh, on October 31, 2006.
The Chandigarh Police got the first clue of the theft in June this year, when two persons travelling on fake passports were deported from Singapore and then arrested by the Amritsar police at the Raja Sansi airport.
Raj Kumar and Sukhwant Kumar were brought to Chandigarh on production warrants for further investigation in the case.
Accused of running a human trafficking racket for the last one year, Bharat Ghai has reportedly confessed to sending 35 people abroad on fake identities, using the stolen passports. He charged Rs 7 to 10 lakh per person and also procured work permit for them on fake particulars from Italy, the police said.
Ghai has been sent to police custody till June 26.
Revealing his modus operandi, DSP K I P Singh said after interrogating the two persons arrested in Amrtisar, the police zeroed in on a travel agent, Gurjinder Singh alias Lucky alias Vicky, a resident of Kapurthala, who had reportedly sent the two to Singapore.
“While Lucky is still absconding, his wife was arrested. Further investigation brought to light the name of Bharat Ghai who had been in constant touch with Lucky for the last one year,” the DSP said.
The police are suspecting a gang of five persons — kingpin Ghai, travel agent Lucky, his wife and two more — to be behind the fake passport and human trafficking racket.
Besides, three others are suspected to be operating for the gang from Italy, said the senior officer. “Ghai lured customers, arranged visa for them, got their tickets made on fake passports and clearance done,” said the DSP.
The dubious role of one A K Singh and another person who used to sit at the clearance desk for immigration checks at the Amritsar airport has also come to light, the police said, adding that immigration officials are conducting a thorough probe into the matter as to how 35 people managed to reach foreign shores on forged passports. “We will gather details soon about all those who used the forged passports,” the police said.
Discuss this story on expressindia forums
|
|