The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday filed a chargesheet in the French Embassy visa fraud case against eight accused individuals. These included the Local Law Officer in the Visa Department of the Embassy of France, his father, his brother, his wife, two visa agents, and two middlemen. The CBI filed the chargesheet before the CBI Court in New Delhi.

The International Operations Division of the CBI registered the case based on inputs of visa fraud in the Embassy of France in New Delhi. During the investigation, the CBI found that between January 2021 and May 2022, the accused, while working as a Local Law Officer in the Visa Department, targeted applicants from Punjab who were seeking Schengen visas. He operated through a network of visa agents. The accused induced applicants to pay large sums of money in exchange for the visas.

According to the CBI, visa agents, mostly based in Punjab, took money ranging from ₹13 lakh to ₹45 lakh from each visa applicant. In return, the accused processed their visa applications. After issuing the Schengen visas, the accused destroyed the visa documents and files.

A Schengen visa is a short-stay visa that allows travel to any of the 27 countries in the Schengen Area of Europe. It allows a stay of up to 90 days within a 180-day period for purposes like tourism, business, or transit. The visa enables border-free travel across member states, including most European Union countries and non-EU countries such as Norway, Switzerland and Iceland. One visa allows travel across the entire Schengen Zone.

During the investigation, the CBI recovered large amounts of cash and documents related to properties worth crores in India and abroad. The CBI found these at several locations in Punjab and Delhi. Two visa agents acted as key co-conspirators. They routed the money through multiple bank accounts. The funds eventually reached the Local Law Officer and his family members—his father, brother, and wife.

To trace the proceeds of crime in foreign countries, the International Operations Division of the CBI, in coordination with the International Police Cooperation Unit of the CBI, managed to get India’s first Silver Notice published in this case. The CBI coordinated with several agencies, including international ones, to secure evidence in the case.