Gujarat engineer caught with fake visa to New Zealand: Consequences decoded

The Gujarat engineer has been booked under India's Passports Act, 1967, which imposes penalties for passport misuse and fraudulent activities

Sahar police recently arrested Sagar Shah, a 29-year-old civil engineer from Gujarat, for attempting to travel to New Zealand with a fraudulent visa. The arrest took place at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after immigration officials grew suspicious when Shah failed to present a boarding pass for his connecting flight from Hong Kong to New Zealand. Following investigation, authorities uncovered irregularities in his visa, which was confirmed to be fake.

 

Shah, who had previously been rejected for a Canadian student visa in 2018, confessed to seeking an alternative route to migrate, ultimately choosing New Zealand. His case draws attention to the ongoing issue of visa fraud driven by those desperate to seek better opportunities abroad.

 

 

"Unwarranted desperation to move abroad drives people to accept dangerous, illegal, and immoral options," says Russell A Stamets, a partner at Delhi-based law firm Circle of Counsels. "They may end up with a criminal record, which will cause problems for them everywhere." 

 

"However, visa officers have enormous discretion, so what constitutes a "criminal record" can vary widely, and need not be precisely what one thinks is a "criminal record," he says.

 

Stamets added that foreign legal systems often lack leniency for migrants unless they’re seeking asylum.

 

"Forging a visa or attempting to travel on a forged visa is a serious offence punishable under the laws of all countries," says Soniya Putta, Partner at Solomon & Co law firm.

 

"Shah's attempt to travel to New Zealand with a forged visa violates Section 3 of the Passport Act, 1967, and Sections 336 and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023.

 

Section 3 of the Passport Act prohibits any individual from leaving India without valid travel documents, with Section 12(1) prescribing penalties of 1 to 5 years of imprisonment and/or a fine ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000. Meanwhile, Sections 336 and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita criminalise the use of forged documents, carrying a punishment of up to 1 year of imprisonment and/or a fine," she explains.

 

Putta advises travellers to be mindful of Indian and destination country laws, ensuring all travel documents are valid and authentic. "When applying for visas, especially through third-party agents, travellers must verify the agent’s credibility and the authenticity of the visa, avoiding those demanding unreasonable fees," she adds.

 

Fake visa cases

 

Shah claimed that he had been issued a combined boarding pass by the airline covering his journey from Ahmedabad to Mumbai, but he was advised to collect his New Zealand boarding pass from Pacific Airlines at Mumbai airport. Authorities, however, found his New Zealand visa was fraudulent.

 

Shah later admitted to contacting an agent, Priya Patel, in Vallabh Vidyanagar, who provided him with a fake visitor visa for Rs 50,000. He planned to board a flight from Hong Kong to New Zealand using these fake documents.

 

In a similar crackdown in October, Delhi Police dismantled a fake visa operation in Surat, Gujarat, arresting six individuals. According to DCP (IGI Airport) Usha Rangnani, the investigation began when a passenger named Kuldeep was detained on 28 September while attempting to board a flight to Canada with a fraudulent visa.

 

Kuldeep disclosed that he had paid Rs 18 lakh to an agent, Sandeep, who promised him a visa for himself and his mother, along with a job in Canada. Upon interrogation, Sandeep revealed he operated as part of a syndicate with associates, including Sarabjeet Kaur, Gagandeep Kaur, Gaurav, Nitin Sharma, and Reena Kaushal.

 

The investigation revealed that Sarabjeet and Gagandeep, who went by aliases on social media, posted videos on Instagram claiming to offer “guaranteed Canadian visas even in refusal cases.” Interested individuals were directed to contact them through a provided phone number.

 

The syndicate members had various roles, with Gaurav operating an office called ‘The Visa Street’ in Karnal, Haryana, while Nitin Sharma in Mohali arranged fake visa stamps on passports. Reena Kaushal also worked on a commission basis, assisting in luring clients.

 

The syndicate's fake visas were sourced from Prateek Shah, an electrical engineering graduate running a clandestine operation from his home in Surat. Police recovered materials, including colour printers, lamination machines, and software used for producing counterfeit visas.

 

The DCP confirmed that Prateek’s factory catered to multiple requests for forged visas from gang members, who provided him with personal details and documents.