The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet against eight individuals, including a local law officer at the French Embassy in New Delhi and his family members, for their alleged involvement in a high-profile visa fraud racket targeting Schengen visa applicants.According to a statement issued by the agency on June 11, the chargesheet was filed before the Special CBI Court in New Delhi and names the embassy official, his father, brother, and wife, as well as two visa agents and two middlemen. The case pertains to the fraudulent issuance of Schengen visas between January 2021 and May 2022.Investigators allege that the accused exploited their position in the visa section of the French Embassy to process and approve visa applications for hefty bribes, primarily from applicants in Punjab. Visa agents linked to the racket allegedly collected sums ranging from Rs 13 lakh to Rs 45 lakh per applicant, under the promise of quick visa approvals.The CBI claimed that once the visas were issued, supporting documentation was destroyed to eliminate paper trails. A series of searches in Punjab and Delhi yielded large quantities of unaccounted cash and documents linked to domestic and overseas properties valued in crores.The agency said the two visa agents acted as key conduits, channeling the illicit funds through various bank accounts, ultimately reaching the embassy official and his family through two middlemen.Also, the CBI’s International Operations Division, working with the Interpol wing of the agency, secured India’s first-ever Silver Notice from Interpol to help trace and identify assets acquired overseas through the alleged proceeds of crime.“This marks a key milestone in India’s use of international policing tools to follow the money trail beyond its borders,” the agency said.The CBI added that it remains committed to combating transnational crime and assisting victims both in India and abroad who fall prey to such organized criminal networks.
