The Punjab Police have begun the process of bringing back 14 residents from the United Kingdom in connection with an alleged international human trafficking racket involving forged e-visas and employment documents.
The Bureau of Investigation (BOI), which is handling the case, has issued warrants against all 14 passengers after a special investigation team (SIT) submitted its report. The police are also preparing to approach the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) to initiate extradition proceedings and are expected to send a mutual legal assistance request to British authorities for evidence and other legal assistance.
The development comes nine months after the passengers allegedly travelled from Amritsar to London on Air India flights before seeking asylum in the UK. According to an MHA report forwarded to the Punjab BOI, all 14 are currently lodged in detention centres in the UK while their asylum claims are being processed.
Probe traces the passengers’ journeys
The SIT report states that the 14 Punjab residents travelled on Air India flights AI-169 and AI-117 from Amritsar between January 11 and 16 this year. They allegedly showed screenshots of forged e-visa-related documents and employment papers stored on their mobile phones during the travel and boarding process.
The case first came to light after five passengers travelled from Amritsar to London on January 11. After reaching the UK, they sought asylum and were detained by British authorities, who allegedly found their travel documents to be forged and alerted Air India and Indian authorities.
Despite that alert, another nine passengers carrying allegedly similar documents were allowed to board an Air India flight from Amritsar on January 16. The circumstances in which the second group was permitted to travel have become a key part of the Punjab Police investigation.
Investigators have also found that one mobile phone number was allegedly used to book tickets for 10 of the 14 passengers. The SIT has said this points towards the possibility that their journeys were coordinated by a common person or an organised network.
The case was registered in April in Mohali following inputs from the MHA and British authorities. The FIR invokes Section 143(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to human trafficking, and Section 13(1) of the Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act, 2012.
An SIT headed by Superintendent of Police Richa Agnihotri was subsequently constituted to investigate the alleged trafficking network and establish how passengers carrying allegedly forged documents were able to travel from Amritsar.
Airline staff and ground handlers under investigation
The probe has expanded beyond the 14 passengers to include Air India employees, personnel of AI Airport Services Limited (AIASL), the airline's ground-handling arm, and travel agents.
The SIT has so far identified 30 people in connection with the alleged racket. They include the 14 passengers, three Air India employees, four AIASL employees and several travel agents and other suspected persons.
Earlier, investigators had identified 29 people of interest, including eight travel agents suspected of forging travel documents. The three Air India employees and four AIASL personnel were called for a second round of questioning in July as investigators examined whether they had merely been negligent or had knowingly facilitated the alleged illegal immigration operation.
Investigators have also examined whether airline personnel followed mandatory procedures for checking immigration documents. The SIT had found that staff allegedly relied on documents displayed on passengers' mobile phones instead of verifying their immigration status through the UK Home Office's online system. The probe said this was contrary to procedures requiring verification through official immigration portals.
An internal inquiry by Air India's Investigation and Fraud Prevention division reportedly concluded that check-in employees Balram Singh, Karanbir Singh and Mona had failed to carry out mandatory immigration verification despite having received compliance training. The inquiry also held duty managers and airport managers responsible for failing to detect repeated lapses.
Investigators are also examining alleged communications between some airline officials and immigration agents before the passengers boarded their flights, to determine whether there was any criminal conspiracy. Immigration personnel were also summoned after investigators found that one of the 14 passengers, a resident of Batala, was facing six criminal cases in Punjab.
Forensic examination to determine further action
The SIT has sent laptops, mobile phones and hard disks belonging to suspected airline and ground-handling personnel to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL).
Investigators are awaiting the forensic report, which is expected to help establish whether and to what extent the employees were involved in the alleged network. A police officer said further action, including the possible issuance of warrants against suspected airline and ground-handling personnel, would depend on the forensic findings.
The investigation is also examining how passengers carrying allegedly forged documents managed to complete airport procedures and board flights, particularly after British authorities had reportedly alerted the Indian side following the detention of the first group.
Air India has said it is cooperating with the Punjab Police investigation, while an airline spokesperson had said the company would comment after examining the SIT findings.
AIASL handles passenger, ramp and cargo services at Amritsar airport, according to the company's official list of ground-handling operations.
Extradition and legal assistance process begins
With warrants issued against the 14 passengers, the BOI has begun the process of bringing them back from the UK. The warrants have been sent to their addresses in Punjab, according to a senior officer associated with the investigation.
The Punjab Police are also preparing a mutual legal assistance request to British authorities. Such requests enable authorities in one country to seek evidence, documents, witness assistance and other forms of legal cooperation from another country for criminal investigations or proceedings.
Officers investigating the case are writing to the MHA to proceed with the extradition process. The police are also preparing to submit the challan and initiate further legal proceedings against the accused.
The investigation will continue to draw on evidence from the UK as well as forensic material seized from suspected airline and ground-handling personnel.
The 14 passengers remain in UK detention centres, according to the MHA report forwarded to the Punjab BOI, while the Punjab Police pursue the next stage of the case.