AI staff held for trafficking women on free tickets

Mumbai The Mumbai Police crime branch has blown the lid off a human trafficking racket to the US, in which women were allegedly flown to New York on forged passports, posing as wives of Air India employees. The police have arrested two Air India employees who allegedly escorted the women to the US, but returned alone.
As many as three persons have been arrested so far by the social service branch (SSB) of the crime branch, and the police are on the lookout for the kingpin. The arrested have been identified as Deepak Salvi, 41, Hemant Morade, 40, and Ejaz Ansari. According to the police, Salvi is an office superintendent with Air India while Morade is an operator. While these two were arrested on February 25, Ansari was arrested from the Madanpura area of Nagpada on Tuesday last for aiding and abetting in the racket.
“These Air India employees are entitled to two free airline tickets for their relatives each year, and it is much easier for them to get visas to the US. In September 2007, Salvi availed himself of this entitlement and flew from Mumbai to Shanghai and then to New York, accompanied by his wife. However, he returned alone to Mumbai. Again in April 2008, Morade did the same thing and he also came back alone. The vigilance department of Air India took note of this and started discreet enquiries,” said an SSB official, who did not wish to be named.
The vigilance department discovered that the wives who were flown to the US were actually imposters. Air India then approached the US consulate for further information on these two cases in December 2008. The consulate confirmed that the two women were imposters and had flown on forged passports to New York.
27/03/09 ExpressIndia

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Categories: Airports Mar 2009, Foreign Mar 2009, NACIL Mar 2009