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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet in French Embassy Visa fraud case against 8 accused including Local Law Officer in Visa Department of the Embassy of France, his father, brother and wife, two visa agents and two middle men before the CBI Court in Delhi, said the agency in a press release.
According to the CBI, the International Operations Division of CBI, on the basis of inputs of a visa fraud in the Embassy of France, New Delhi, registered a case. 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. A network of visa agents, mostly based in Punjab, received money ranging from Rs 13 Lakh to Rs 45 Lakh from each visa applicant and in lieu of these large sums of money, visa applications were processed by the accused, and after issuance of Schengen visas, the accused destroyed the visa documents and files. 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 funnelled 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. 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, said the agency. (ANI)
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