In a year-long operation culminating on 31 December, the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) unit of Delhi Police arrested 132 individuals—many posing as travel agents—in connection with forged passports, fake visas and human-smuggling attempts. The police released the figures on 4 January 2026, emphasising a new strategy that couples criminal charges with financial-crime probes to trace illicit earnings.
Investigators said traffickers charged hopeful migrants up to ₹25 lakh each for doctored Schengen or North-American visas, routing them through Gulf stop-overs. Bank-account analysis revealed proceeds laundered into real-estate holdings in Haryana and Punjab. Property worth ₹32 crore has been provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act.
For businesses and travellers seeking peace of mind, visa specialists such as VisaHQ offer end-to-end application support, real-time status tracking and rigorous document checks, sharply reducing the temptation to rely on unvetted middlemen. Their India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) covers Schengen, North-American and Gulf destinations, providing transparent fees and embassy-direct processing that help ensure compliance with evolving immigration controls.
![Delhi Police busts ₹150-crore visa-fraud racket; 130 arrests at IGI Airport in 2025 sweep]()
The crackdown comes amid rising international pressure on India to curb irregular migration flows following incidents of Indian nationals being detained in Mexico and along the US-Canada border. Airlines operating out of Delhi have welcomed closer scrutiny, noting that forged documents often result in carrier fines and forced repatriations under international “carrier-liability” rules.
Practical implications: mobility managers should tighten pre-departure document audits for assignees and dependants, especially when using smaller, sub-agent travel consultants. Corporates are encouraged to rely on VFS-approved visa facilitation centres and to verify appointment receipts directly with embassy portals.
Delhi Police say they will embed financial-investigation units within future airport crime probes, signalling that asset-freezing could become a standard deterrent. Expect similar models to roll out at Mumbai and Bengaluru airports during 2026.
Investigators said traffickers charged hopeful migrants up to ₹25 lakh each for doctored Schengen or North-American visas, routing them through Gulf stop-overs. Bank-account analysis revealed proceeds laundered into real-estate holdings in Haryana and Punjab. Property worth ₹32 crore has been provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act.
For businesses and travellers seeking peace of mind, visa specialists such as VisaHQ offer end-to-end application support, real-time status tracking and rigorous document checks, sharply reducing the temptation to rely on unvetted middlemen. Their India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) covers Schengen, North-American and Gulf destinations, providing transparent fees and embassy-direct processing that help ensure compliance with evolving immigration controls.
The crackdown comes amid rising international pressure on India to curb irregular migration flows following incidents of Indian nationals being detained in Mexico and along the US-Canada border. Airlines operating out of Delhi have welcomed closer scrutiny, noting that forged documents often result in carrier fines and forced repatriations under international “carrier-liability” rules.
Practical implications: mobility managers should tighten pre-departure document audits for assignees and dependants, especially when using smaller, sub-agent travel consultants. Corporates are encouraged to rely on VFS-approved visa facilitation centres and to verify appointment receipts directly with embassy portals.
Delhi Police say they will embed financial-investigation units within future airport crime probes, signalling that asset-freezing could become a standard deterrent. Expect similar models to roll out at Mumbai and Bengaluru airports during 2026.
