Rs 45 lakh per visa: CBI nabs French Embassy official in Schengen visa scam; Interpol Silver Notice issued

An Indian employee at the French Embassy in New Delhi has been implicated in a major visa fraud, targeting individuals primarily from Punjab. This fraudulent scheme, operational from January 2021 to May 2022, involved charging exorbitant fees, up to Rs 45 lakh per applicant, to expedite the issuance of Schengen visas. The scam was initially undetected due to the laundering of funds through various domestic and international bank accounts, alongside the deliberate destruction of processed visa documents.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued a chargesheet against eight individuals in connection with the case. The accused include former local law officer, Shubham Shokeen, his family members (brother Abhishek, father Samunder Singh, and wife Aarti Choudhary), as well as visa agents Balwinder Singh Bartia and Pritpal Singh, and middlemen Jashandeep Singh Sidhu and Bhawan Shokeen.

According to the CBI, the accused, a local law officer in the visa department, orchestrated the scam with the assistance of his family and a network of visa agents and middlemen. "During investigation, it was established that during the period of January, 2021 to May, 2022, while working as Local Law Officer in Visa Department of the Embassy of France, New Delhi, the accused targeted applicants from Punjab seeking Schengen visas, through a network of visa agents and induced them to give huge amount of money for obtaining Schengen visas," the CBI stated in a statement. The operation saw the destruction of visa documents upon issuance, making the scam difficult to trace initially.

The CBI's investigation unveiled significant sums of cash and property documents across Punjab and Delhi, acquired through the fraudulent operation. 

According to the agency, he purchased six immovable properties totaling 7,760,500 Dirhams (Rs 15,73,51,250) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, using funds obtained through illegal activities. The CBI had previously issued a Blue Notice to locate the individual in question.

"During the investigation, huge amounts of cash and multiple documents relating to properties worth crores, acquired in India and abroad were found at various locations in Punjab and Delhi. Two accused Visa agents were the key co-conspirators who funneled the money through various bank accounts, which ultimately reached the accused Local Law Officer and his family members—brother, father, and wife through the two accused middlemen," the agency stated, highlighting the extensive network used to funnel money.

The CBI, in collaboration with international agencies, secured India's first silver notice from Interpol to track the assets linked to this fraud overseas. The Silver Notice was issued against Shokeen on May 23. 

"In order to trace the proceeds of crime abroad, the International Operations Division of CBI, in coordination with the International Police Cooperation Unit of CBI were also successful in getting India’s first Silver notice published in this case. CBI successfully coordinated with multiple agencies including international agencies to secure evidence in the case," noted the CBI. This step marks a significant stride in cross-border cooperation to combat such fraudulent networks.

What is a Schengen visa?

As stated by the Migration and Home Affairs department of the European Union (EU), a Schengen visa serves as a temporary entry permit for non-EU nationals to visit a country within the Schengen area for up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

There are three types of Schengen visas available:

Single-entry visa: permits entry into the Schengen area once.
Multiple-entry visa: allows for multiple visits to the Schengen area for the duration of the visa's validity.
Airport transit visa: enables transit through the international transit area of a Schengen area airport during a layover or flight change, without exiting the international transit area.

(With agency inputs)