Eight police officers suspended in visa scam

Pune, Apr 18 (UNI) Director General of Police P S Pasricha has suspended eight police officers for their alleged involvement in the fake visa scam.

However, CID sources told UNI the suspension orders have still not been received by the office here but are expected in a day or two. The eight officers, suspended yesterday, are charged of conniving at foreigners, travel agents and clerks from Mantralaya to forge visa documents.

The incident first came to light in June 2004 after officers from Foreigner's Registration Office in Hyderabad suspected the authenticity of the visa of a foreign student seeking admission there. After preliminary investigations, the Hyderabad police transferred the matter to Pune Police and a case was filed at Chaturshingi police station in August the same year.

Later, the case was handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Pune. Investigations revealed that the foreigners got their visas extended on fake addresses, which were not verified by police. Over 30 people including some policemen, Mantralaya officials, travel agents and foreigners have been arrested in this connection.

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