The Hindu : New Delhi News : 29 detained, fake visa plea suspected

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 12, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

29 detained, fake visa plea suspected

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: The Delhi police have detained 29 people for allegedly trying to obtain U.S. visas by posing as singers.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Anand Mohan on Thursday said they had received a complaint from the U.S. Embassy alleging that some people claiming to be artistes had applied for visas seeking permission for a tour to the U.S. The accused had submitted their papers to the Embassy on Tuesday.

Interrogated

The next day when the applicants went to collect their visas they were detained and handed over to the Chanakyapuri police. They were interrogated at length, during which they claimed that they were artistes and were being taken to various places in the U.S. The tour was being organised by a non-resident Indian named Ashwani.

Case of cheating

On the basis of the complaint lodged by the U.S. Embassy officials, the police registered a case of cheating and are screening the documents submitted by them with the visa applications.

They suspect that though some of the team members are singers, the others were posing as artistes to gain entry into the U.S. One of the detainees is said to be the wife of a popular Punjabi pop singer.

Several cases have been reported in the past where people have tried to migrate illegally to Western countries by obtaining visas by posing as artistes going on cultural tours.

Most of the detainees this time round are from Punjab.

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