Fake French visa network exposed at IGI Airport, key agent arrested in Tamil Nadu

In a major crackdown on forged foreign travel documents, the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport police have dismantled yet another interstate network involved in arranging counterfeit French D-type visas for Indian job aspirants. The operation led to the arrest of a 55-year-old agent, V. Kannan, hailing from Nanjai Adiyar in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu.

The case surfaced on October 28, 2025, when three passengers Naveeraj Subramaniyam (23) of Namakkal, Mohan Gandhi Elangovan (38) of Tiruchirappalli and Prabhakaran Senthilkumar (28) of Namakkal arrived at the Departure Immigration Counter at Terminal 3 for a flight to Paris. Immigration officers flagged their French D-type visas as counterfeit after detecting missing security features. A case was subsequently registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Passport Act at the IGI Airport police station.

Initial questioning revealed that Naveeraj’s brother had arranged his fake visa for ₹6 lakh, while the other two passengers said they had each paid ₹12 lakh to an agent from Namakkal district.

Acting on technical surveillance and local intelligence, a police team traced and arrested V.Kannan from Tamil Nadu. During interrogation, he confessed to facilitating the fake visas with the help of a co-accused, identified as Sathik Syed, also known as Abdul Hakim, from Madurai. Police said Kannan operates both a government-affiliated ITI in Paramathi and an overseas education consultancy called “Vetri Overseas” in Velur. The accused allegedly lured at least 16 job seekers with promises of warehouse jobs in Paris, conducted sham interviews, and arranged counterfeit visas. Payments were collected through a mix of bank transfers and cash.

A manhunt is underway to trace Kannan’s associate and identify more individuals linked to the racket. Investigators are also exploring potential connections to similar cases detected in recent months.