In a major revelation, 22 individuals scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia for the Umrah pilgrimage were found to possess fake visas, all allegedly issued by a Mumbai-based company named Al-IJMA Tours and Travels. The incident came to light in the early hours of July 21, when one of the passengers reached the airport counter at around 1 AM with the said visa.
During scrutiny, immigration officials noticed irregularities in the visa numbers, which did not match the official series. Upon detailed examination, it was found that all 22 visas bore the same visa number and QR code, despite each visa displaying different names and photographs.
To verify authenticity, officials scanned the QR codes on the Saudi government’s official visa verification portal [visa.mofa.gov.sa], which repeatedly pulled up the same individual's details—clearly indicating duplication. In some cases, passport PDFs were tampered with by pasting another person's photo, further confirming the forgery.
Following the discovery, the affected passengers were taken to the Sahar Police Station for questioning. The police investigation revealed that most of them hailed from rural areas and were unaware of the fraud. They had paid the full amount to the agent, trusting the process to be genuine.
Acting on a complaint filed by the Bureau of Immigration, Sahar Police registered an FIR against the agent, who has since been arrested. The police are now interrogating the accused to identify others who may be involved in the racket.
The authorities have urged pilgrims to remain vigilant and verify documents through official channels before making travel arrangements. Further investigation is underway.