A promise of illegal entry into the United States has left 230 Indian nationals, including 170 from Gujarat, stranded in Sharjah, UAE. The group, which also includes families, was promised a chartered flight from Dubai to Brazil, purportedly a new route to the US. From Brazil, they were told they would cross into the United States illegally via the Mexico border by road.
According to sources close to the development, the individuals, including 60 people from Delhi and Punjab, are currently staying at the Dana Hotel in Sharjah. Investigations have revealed the involvement of several agents, including Sameer, Dhaval and Hasmukh, the latter being the financier based in Dubai. Other agents, referred to as Paji and Thakur Saheb, are also implicated, with another Dubai-based agent, RK, believed to be central in coordinating the operation.
Sources revealed that passengers, mostly from Kadi, Kalol, and Ahmedabad in Gujarat, were arranged by illegal immigration agents. The agents allegedly collected Rs 3 crore in advance to book the charter flight, which was initially scheduled to depart Dubai on December 11 but was rescheduled to December 20 due to concerns over conditions at the Mexico-US border. The agents, however, have not provided flight route details to the passengers, only assuring them that they would be sent to the US before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
The scheme echoes a previous illegal immigration attempt. On December 26, 2023, a charter flight carrying suspected illegal immigrants from India, mainly from Gujarat and North India, was intercepted at Vatry Airport in France. The passengers on this flight were promptly sent back to Mumbai.
An immigration agent familiar with the operation explained, “These charter flights are meticulously organised by illegal immigration agents, mostly departing from Dubai. However, after the operation was exposed in France, the agents temporarily ceased using this method. A new route via Uzbekistan was then established, followed by the use of Libyan airline charters. However, due to increased pressure from the United States, the Libyan route was shut down around May 2024.”
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