Seizure of 50g of cocaine recently from a 25-year-old Nigerian led the police to unearthing a major visa racket. The police arrested another Nigerian, a graphic designer, who was allegedly instrumental in doing bogus visas extension and affixing immigration stamps for Nigerians so that they could extend their stay illegally.The police have seized at least 30 passports from the accused designer and are on the lookout for the 30 foreigners, whose passports have been seized, to deport them to their country.The arrested duo has been identified as Richard Tony, from whom the cocaine was seized, and Thomas Aderemi Adesoji alias Remee, 45.Police sources said on receipt of specific information Tony was apprehended by officers of the Azad Maidan unit of the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) at Marine Lines on May 13.During interrogation, Tony said he had kept his passport with Remme, a Naigaon resident. "Tony told us that Remme was a popular name in the Nigerian community as the one who can extend visas," said an ANC officer.The police then conducted a raid at Remme's residence and found 30 passports there of Nigerian nationals from Canada, Guinea, Sri Lanka and Mozambique. Deputy commissioner of police KMM Prasanna then asked inspector Shalini Sharma of the city police's extradition cell to assist in the probe."Remme was placed under arrest and he revealed that many Nigerians, who wanted to stay illegally and were unable to extend their visas, used to contact him. He would scan bogus visas on the passport through computer and then put bogus immigration stamps on them. We have seized at least 60 different bogus rubber stamps, including immigration and high commission stamps. We have also seized his computer, hard disk and pen drive," said the officer.Remme told the police that after he became popular in this business, at least 20 to 30 people would approach him for such work daily."Once the bogus extension was done, the Nigerians would show it to the authorities, if they were intercepted, to show that their stay was legal. Remme would charge anywhere between Rs2,000 and Rs6,000, depending on the person's paying capacity. This is a serious issue as it means a large number of Nigerians are staying illegally in the city, mostly in Mira Road, Nalasopara, Naigaon and some parts of Navi Mumbai, with Remme's help," said another police officer."We have brought this issue to the notice of senior officers and efforts are being made to trace these foreigners," said Sharma.About the manThomas Aderemi Adesoji alias Remee completed his graduation from Lagos in Nigeria and then went to Germany, where he learnt graphic designing. He has been shuttling between Mumbai and Nigeria since 2006. He settled down in Naigaon in 2009 after marrying an Assamese woman. The couple have two children.

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