Helpline launched to report immigration frauds in Haryana

AMBALA: The special investigation team (SIT) constituted under Ambala Range IG Sibash Kabiraj to probe immigration fraud cases in the state on Friday launched helpline 80530-03400 for complainants.

The team formed on orders of home minister Anil Vij last week, which also includes Ambala SP Jashandeep Singh Randhawa and Kaithal SP Abhishek Jorwal, had met for its first meeting on Thursday.

Vij said eight complaints were received on the first day on the helpline, while asserting that his government aims to completely eliminate immigration frauds from Haryana.

“Parents sell land, jewellery and other valuables to send their children abroad but some agents loot their hard-earned money. We had formed an SIT under the then IG Bharti Arora earlier in 2020, which arrested 589 people, but as such cases are increasing again, we have reconstituted the team to curb the menace,” the minister added.

Vij said it has also been decided that DSP (headquarters) will be the nodal officer in every district, who will be in direct contact with the SIT.

Officials said a monitoring cell has also been formed under the SIT that includes three cops at the IG office.

The cell will be responsible for collection and maintenance of records, apart from receiving complaints on the number and marking them to respective districts for required action.

At the meeting, the SIT had also decided that the police will appeal for cancellation of passports of such agents against whom a court warrant has already been issued.

IG Kabiraj said the primary objective of the team will be to focus on registration of cases in fresh complaints and vacating court stays in old cases to get them disposed of at the earliest.

“Under the last SIT, over 470 cases were registered, out of which 365 are under investigation, including maximum 165 from Karnal district. We are also preparing a list of habitual offenders, who have been arrested in several cases, and they will be treated as historysheeters,” he added.

The IG further said that the SIT will also discuss other regulatory mechanisms in the coming days that could also be added to the updated list of recognised centres through which applicants will be advised to apply.