SOG nabs 9 including Talati-Mantri in fake passport scam in Dwarka

Dwarka: The Special Operations Group (SOG) and Dwarka district police, in a joint operation, busted a fake passport scam and apprehended nine accused individuals, including a suspended Talati-Mantri, for their involvement in the crime. The accused were obtaining birth certificates by manipulating official birth records to obtain visas for people wishing to travel to the UK.

The SOG had been conducting an investigation after receiving information about suspicious individuals in the Devbhumi Dwarka district who were tampering with government birth records, destroying authentic entries, and creating fake ones. Using these fraudulent entries, fake birth certificates were generated on the village panchayat’s online portal. During the probe, it was found that Talati-Mantri Hardikbhai S. of Bhimshibhai Mayabhai Ravaliya had been issuing fake certificates based on these false entries. Upon questioning, he revealed that he was doing this for a person from Porbandar.

As per the modus operandi, the accused would target individuals wishing to travel to the UK, then obtain the documents and information required to make passports for Portuguese nationals. The Talati would delete old records and generate fake birth certificates for the applicants, changing their names and birthdates to show them as being under the age of 21, making it easier for them to obtain visas. Based on these fake birth certificates, other documents such as Aadhar cards were generated. The documents were then handed over to a passport agent, who uploaded the fraudulent documents on the passport website with false information. Afterward, the passports were provided to applicants wishing to travel to the UK, and they were coached to answer questions about their documents during the visa application process.

The police gathered key documents during the investigation, including online portal entries, passport numbers, and copies of passports. The entire racket relied on individuals from Daman, Diu, and Goa, who had Portuguese passports since 1960, making it easier for them to travel to Europe and the UK. These individuals could easily obtain European and UK citizenship, as well as settlement letters. Based on these settlement letters, their families, including spouses, children, and grandchildren, could also be brought to Europe or the UK. To help people travel to the UK and settle there, they paid large sums of money to Portuguese nationals who would pose as parents or relatives, facilitating the issuance of fake passports and visas. The passports were then issued based on these false documents, enabling applicants to easily obtain visas and later citizenship in the UK.

The SOG has arrested these individuals from multiple cities, namely Porbandar, Valsad, Daman, and Dwarka, and is carrying out further investigation. DeshGujarat