CCB busts illegal network preparing forged documents for U.S. visa
The Hindu
Forgery network busted by Central Crime Branch for producing fake documents for U.S. visa applicants in Chennai.
The Forgery Wing of Central Crime Branch has busted an illegal network preparing forged documents for persons applying for visas at the U.S. Consulate, Chennai.
The police said on October 22 that Overseas Criminal Investigator, U.S. Consulate, preferred a complaint against Ajay Bhandaria for submitting fake educational certificates during an interview. Mr. Bhandaria produced a diploma in hotel management along with a statement of marks from Gandhi Institute of Technical And Management, Delhi and employment letters from Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre, Hyderabad. The visa processing staff found those documents were forged and fraudulently obtained.
He confessed that he had purchased the documents from Dream For Overseas Consultancy Private Limited, Hyderabad for ₹5 lakh. Based on the complaint, a case was registered by the Forgery Investigation Wing, Central Crime Branch.
A team of police personnel went to Hyderabad, Telangana and secured Balanandeswara Rao, 47, the proprietor of Dream For Overseas Consultancy Private Limited, Hyderabad, who had colluded with Kopse Mahesh, 49, of Nizamabad, Hyderabad. The duo deceived the applicants who approached them to facilitate the process of visa application to go abroad, especially to the U.S. They charged ₹5 lakh to ₹6 lakh from applicant. The team also secured Kopse Mahesh and found that he was running a skill development institution named Sybell Technologies and issued fake course completion certificates. Both of them had been involved for a long while in creating fake educational and work experience certificates for U.S. visa applicants.
Both of them were secured and their offices searched. Around 90 fake certificates, seals, monitors, CPUs, printer, laptop, and mobile phones were seized.
Greater Chennai City Police A.Arun appealed to the public to avoid approaching unauthorised agents or intermediaries who claim to expedite the visa process.