Delhi Police Nabs 130+ in Visa and Passport Fraud Crackdown
Delhi Police Nabs 130+ in Visa and Passport Fraud Crackdown
Delhi Police arrest over 130 suspects linked to organized visa and passport fraud, tracing money trails and targeting assets in a sweeping crackdown.
In 2025, the Delhi Police arrested over 130 individuals across the country, including travel agents and facilitators, as part of a nationwide crackdown on visa and passport fraud. The IGI Airport unit of the police also launched financial investigations against the accused, leading to the freezing of more than 100 bank accounts with suspicious transactions. The operation targeted networks involved in forging travel documents, cheating passengers, and facilitating illegal overseas travel. Investigators stressed the importance of tracing the money trail, noting that even though cash was a common mode of payment, significant financial links were uncovered.
Authorities highlighted a multi-pronged approach, not only tackling document fraud but also addressing touting and theft from passenger baggage and cargo areas. The drive resulted in the issuance of 140 lookout circulars in 2025 to prevent absconding suspects from fleeing the country, and several offenders attempting to travel abroad were intercepted at airports. The police reported the arrest of 119 proclaimed offenders, including individuals wanted in cases dating back more than a decade.
The crackdown extended to property and asset actions, with police identifying assets allegedly acquired from proceeds of criminal activity. In at least one case, an application has been filed seeking attachment of property belonging to an accused agent, and similar actions are being pursued against others where evidence permits. In total, the campaign underscores a sustained effort to dismantle organized networks involved in visa and passport fraud while choking illicit financial channels used for routing stolen money.
Beyond arrests, the initiative signals a broader push to curb touting and related criminal activity in the travel sector, with investigators underscoring the financial dimension of these crimes and the need to disrupt the money pathways that sustain them. The year-long drive is part of a wider strategy to protect passengers and uphold the integrity of travel documentation networks.
