The charges relate to their alleged long-term involvement in orchestrating illegal immigration of Indian citizens, a practice that reportedly dates back to 2015.
In a crackdown against illegal immigration, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted searches across 22 locations in Delhi and Gujarat, an official said on Sunday. To subscribe please click tau.id/2iy6f and access our live channel.
It undertook searches in Gujarat and Delhi against some “key” conspirators who used to run an illegal racket of sending Indian citizens abroad using “bogus” visas and passports.
ALSO READ: Remembering Sushant Singh Rajput
The searches were carried out on January 19-20 at 22 locations in Ahmedabad, Surat and Mehsana in Gujarat and in several areas in Delhi.
These were linked to “key conspirators” Bobby alias Bharatbhai Patel, Charanajit Singh and others in a case of aiding illegal foreign immigration, the agency said in a statement.
The latest enforcement action by the ED stems from two FIRs lodged by the Gujarat Police. The accused have been charged under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the Indian Penal Code and the Passports Act.
Bharatbhai Patel was previously apprehended by the Gujarat Police in 2022. Patel’s activities include his involvement in the Dingucha case of the same year in which an Indian family of four perished while attempting to cross from Canada into the US illegally.
The ED case filed under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) stems from two Gujarat Police FIRs registered against the accused under the IPC and the Passports Act for their alleged involvement in sending Indian citizens abroad illegally since 2015.
The accused “were taking huge consideration for sending Indian citizens abroad illegally on the basis of bogus or fabricated documents for getting visa of different countries with duplicate or bogus passports used as genuine by impersonating the passengers wrongly”.
They used to collect Rs 60-75 lakh from one passenger, Rs 1-1.25 crore from every couple (husband and wife) and Rs 1.25-1.75 crore if children accompanied their parents, it said.
About Rs 1.5 crore cash in Indian currency and around Rs 21 lakh in foreign currency were seized during the two-day raids. Various other “incriminating” evidence in the form of digital as well as documentary have been seized.
