New Delhi, Apr 23 (PTI) The Delhi Police has arrested a 35-year-old travel agent from Punjab in a case of arranging a fake UK visa for a passenger in 2022, an official said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Amit Bhardwaj alias Gavi, a resident of Punjab's Kotkapura city, had assured the passenger to arrange his journey to the UK via UAE, with the help of his associates, for Rs 12 lakhs, the official said.

Also Read | Sex on Bus Row: Unidentified Young Boy, Girl Booked by Navi Mumbai Police After Video of Couple Indulging in Sexual Acts Inside NMMT Bus Went Viral.

However, the plan fell through when the passenger, Anil (25), from Haryana, was intercepted at the IGI Airport in Delhi during immigration clearance for Sharjah, UAE.

Upon scrutiny, the visa affixed to his passport was found fake, prompting authorities to register a case on March 1, 2022, under relevant sections of the now-defunct IPC and the Passports Act.

Also Read | Pahalgam Terror Attack: Mallikarjun Kharge Urges Government To Use Full Strength To Hunt Down Terrorists, Seeks All-Party Meet (Watch Video).

A senior police officer said that Anil, during interrogation, revealed that he had paid Rs 12 lakh to Bhardwaj and his associates for the UK visa and job opportunity.

According to police, Bhardwaj and two other agents, namely Karanjeet Singh and Gurmeet Singh, had arranged the fake visa.

Karanjeet and Gurmeet were arrested earlier in the case.

Following their arrest, the name of Bhardwaj surfaced as the key middleman. Despite several attempts, he kept evading arrest, leading to non-bailable warrant proceedings against him.

Acting on a tip-off, police raided possible hideouts and succeeded in apprehending Bhardwaj from Punjab.

During questioning, he confessed to his involvement in the case. He disclosed that he is a graduate with a diploma in multimedia programming but turned to illegal visa facilitation after facing financial hardship. He admitted to receiving Rs 2 lakh as commission for his role in the deal, police claimed.

The investigation is ongoing to identify other potential accomplices and uncover other relevant aspects of the case.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)