About 150 Indians, who went on a tour of Spain last year using 'forged' documents, have gone missing in the European nation, raising speculation that a travel agent might have facilitated their illegal migration.
NEW DELHI: About 150 Indians, who went on a tour of Spain last year using 'forged' documents, have gone missing in the European nation, raising speculation that a travel agent might have facilitated their illegal migration.
All of them had gone to Egypt and Spain in batches on 'incentive trips' organised by a travel agency here during February and April 2006 by using 'forged' documents.
The incident came to light after the Spanish embassy filed a complaint at the Tuglaq Road police station here, informing authorities that 140-150 Indians had not returned even a year after they went to that country.
The embassy also said in its complaint that Madrid could not confirm the whereabouts of these people.
"We have got a complaint from the Spanish embassy in this regard," a senior police official said.
Investigations revealed that the travel agency 'procured' visas for these people after 'falsely' claiming that it was the official tour operator of a prominent cycle manufacturing company.
The agency also claimed the 'incentives tours' were part of the company's initiatives. A case has been registered against the travel agency's owner for alleged forgery and cheating.
"A probe into the matter has made it clear that many of these people have used fake passports and fake visas to get out of the country," the official said.
An amount of Rs 8 lakh to Rs 10 lakh was given to the agent by each of these people, he claimed.
Some people were questioned in connection with the complaint filed by the embassy, he said.
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