An Indian national employed at the French Embassy in New Delhi has been implicated in a large-scale visa fraud scheme, primarily targeting individuals from Punjab. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet against eight individuals in connection with the scam, which operated between January 2021 and May 2022.
The accused, identified as former Local Law Officer Shubham Shokeen, allegedly exploited his position within the visa department to orchestrate the fraudulent issuance of Schengen visas. Working alongside a network that included family members—his 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, Shokeen reportedly charged applicants up to ₹45 lakh each to expedite visa processing.
According to the CBI, the scam went undetected for months due to the sophisticated laundering of funds through multiple domestic and international bank accounts, coupled with the systematic destruction of visa documents upon issuance. This deliberate effort to erase the paper trail made it challenging to trace the fraudulent activities initially.
During the course of the investigation, the CBI recovered large sums of cash and property documents from various locations in Punjab and Delhi. Notably, the agency discovered that Shokeen had acquired six immovable properties in Dubai valued at approximately AED 7,760,500 (₹15.73 crore), using proceeds from the scam. The agency had earlier issued a Blue Notice to locate him.
In a landmark development, the CBI collaborated with international law enforcement agencies to secure India’s first-ever Interpol Silver Notice, issued on May 23, to trace assets linked to the fraud overseas. This marks a significant step in global cooperation against cross-border financial crimes.
“The CBI’s International Operations Division, in coordination with the International Police Cooperation Unit, played a critical role in publishing the Silver Notice and securing evidence from international partners,” the agency said in a statement.
Recent Random Post:
