Surat Police Bust Fake Visa Racket, Arrest Habitual Offender Prateek Shah

Surat | Gujarat —- In a sensational crackdown, the Surat Special Operations Group (SOG) and Prevention of Crime Branch (PCB) have busted a fake visa racket operating from a flat in Rander, arresting habitual offender Prateek alias Abhijeet Nileshbhai Shah. Police say Shah had been running a full-fledged factory producing bogus visa stickers for the UK, Canada, Macedonia, Serbia, Germany, and other European countries for over a decade.

Investigators revealed that Shah had prepared nearly 700 fake visa stickers in the past 10 years, each sold to north Indian agents for ₹15,000 apiece. Shockingly, some people are believed to have traveled abroad using these fraudulent visas, raising fears of a larger international nexus.

Raid in Rander Area

The operation was launched after specific intelligence was received by SOG PI A.P. Chaudhary and PCB PI R.S. Suvera. A late-night raid at Samor Residency, Flat No. 202, near Jhagdiya Chowkdi led to Shah’s arrest. Police seized a laptop containing edited visa files, printers, embossing machines, hallmark papers, and visa stickers of multiple countries.

According to the police, items worth ₹1.30 lakh were seized, including:

5 fake visa stickers of different countries

8 color prints of visa stickers

Stamp coin of Czech Republic

Emboss and corner cutter machines

Over 600 sheets of hallmark security paper from European countries and Canada

2 color printers, 5 mobile phones, and Shah’s HP laptop

A Factory of Fraud

Police sources revealed that Shah meticulously crafted the bogus stickers, taking seven days to replicate one authentic-looking visa sticker. He sourced hallmark paper from websites like Alibaba.com, edited them using basic software such as Paint, printed them, and couriered the finished stickers to his network of agents.

“This was a highly organized operation. Shah worked like a printing press for fake visas, and his agents in Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh, and Haryana lured desperate people wanting to settle abroad,” said an investigating officer.

Shah’s interrogation revealed the names of six agents – Ketan Deepakbhai Sarvaiya (Anand), Harsh (Bangkok), Paramjit Singh (Delhi), Aflak (Delhi), Sachin Shah, and another unidentified accomplice – all of whom have now been declared wanted.

A Habitual Offender

Shah is no stranger to law enforcement. Since 2017, 12 cases have been registered against him, including nine in Surat’s Umra Police Station, one in Vadodara, and two at Delhi’s IGI Airport. Despite his criminal history, he continued to operate undeterred.

A senior Surat crime branch officer remarked, ““This arrest is just the tip of the iceberg. Shah’s racket has international links. People have managed to travel abroad using his bogus stickers, and we are now tracking them and the agents who facilitated their journeys.”

Wider Crackdown on Fake Industries

This operation follows a string of raids in Surat targeting counterfeit rackets. Just last week, a fake drugs factory was busted in Velanja, leading to six arrests and seizure of chemical material. Two months ago, police uncovered a fake gold jewelry racket in Sarthana, where 12 accused were arrested.

Authorities say these cases highlight how Surat is becoming a hub for sophisticated criminal networks manufacturing counterfeit goods—from drugs and jewelry to visas.