Pathankot: Illegal immigration racket busted, 2 arrested

The Pathankot police busted an illegal immigration racket and arrested two people involved in the fraud.

The arrested accused have been identified as Jaljodh Masih and Lucky, who were running an immigration office without a licence and were fraudulently collecting money from people for sending them abroad.

Divulging more details, Pathankot senior superintendent of police Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh said that the police party led by SHO Police Station Sadar Pathankot was patrolling the area near Sarna when they received a tip-off from a local resident about an immigration office operating without a licence. Upon investigation, the police found that the office was fraudulently collecting money from naive people in the name of sending them abroad. The office had also confiscated their passports and provided them with fake step pads printed by a Kuwaiti company.

Upon questioning, the two accused, Jaljodh Masih and Lucky, were found to be operating the office without any recognised licence or document. On investigation, it was found that the accused were using fake documents and passports to cheat people. The accused tried to escape but were nabbed after a brief chase.

The accused have been booked under Sections 420, 467, 468, and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 24 of the Immigration Act. The case has been registered at police station Sadar Pathankot.

“The cops will not allow anyone to cheat innocent people and engage in illegal activities. We urge the public to be aware of such fraudsters and report any suspicious activity to the police,” SSP Khakh said.