Surat police arrested Pratik Shah and busted a fake visa factory. Fake visa stickers, equipment, and hallmark papers for the UK, Canada, and other countries were seized. The accused used to charge Rs 15,000 per visa from individuals seeking to travel abroad.
Surat: In Gujarat's Surat district, police have arrested Pratik Shah and exposed a factory manufacturing fake visas for the UK, Canada, Macedonia, Serbia, and Europe. During a late-night raid in the Adajan and Rander areas, fake visa stickers, hallmark paper, printing equipment, and laptops were seized. The accused, Pratik Shah, in collusion with other agents, was extorting Rs 15,000 per visa from people under the guise of arranging foreign visas. The SOG and PCB teams played a significant role in this action.
Police arrested after a late-night raid
A joint team of Surat city's SOG and PCB conducted a raid late at night near Jhagadiya Chowkdi, in front of Flat No. 202, Samor Residency, Shri Jinnagari Society, located in the Rander area. Based on information, the police arrested Pratik Shah red-handed. During the operation, the police recovered a complete setup for manufacturing fake visas and other equipment from his possession.
SOG PI A.P. Chaudhary and PCB PI R.S. Suvera stated that the accused had been running an international visa racket for a long time and, in conjunction with various travel agencies, was collecting hefty sums from individuals wishing to travel abroad.
Seized items and fake visas
Police seized goods worth approximately Rs 1,30,000 from Pratik Shah's residence. These included:
- 5 fake visa stickers of different countries
- 8 color-printed visa stickers
- A stamp seal of the Czech Republic
- Paper cutter, corner cutter machine, emboss machine
- UV laser torch, scale, and ink bottles
- Large and small hallmark papers for Europe, Canada, Macedonia, Serbia, UK
- Mobile phones, laptops, and a color printer
According to the police, Pratik Shah used to order hallmark papers from sites like Alibaba.com and prepare fake visas by editing visa formats using CorelDraw software. He was charging Rs 15,000 for each visa.
Pratik Shah has several previous cases registered against him
Investigation revealed that Pratik Shah was not new to criminal activities. Several cases related to visa scams were previously registered against him. He has 9 cases registered at the Udhana Police Station, 1 case at Gorva Police Station in Vadodara city, and 2 cases at IGI Airport.
Police said that Pratik Shah's network was extensive, and he used to supply fake visa stickers to agents in Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana. The accused had been perpetrating this fraud for many years, engaging in international-level fraud.
Search for other individuals involved in the fraud is ongoing
Surat police have taken this case seriously and are treating it as an international crime. The police stated that travel agencies and citizens will be made aware to prevent such incidents in the future.
DCP Surat said that this action sends a message that the law will take strict action against anyone attempting to commit crimes at an international level. Police have launched a search for other individuals involved in the fraud.
