Immigration scam: How 'Haryana professor' tried to traffic 7 students to UK

Even with the UK government tightening immigration rules, cases of students being duped by fraudulent agents have increased

A recent case of visa fraud has once again raised concerns over Indian student migration scams. A man claiming to be a professor at a private university in Haryana was arrested at Mumbai international airport on Monday while attempting to take seven youths from Punjab and Haryana to the United Kingdom on what he said was a student exchange programme. Authorities suspect he provided false information to obtain visas, according to news agency PTI.

 

The seven youths were initially detained but later released on court orders. Three of them are minors.

 

"We are yet to verify if the professor is associated with the Haryana-based university, as he claims. He has produced his identity card, but its authenticity needs to be verified," police said in a statement.

 

An FIR was registered at Sahar police station before the case was transferred to the property cell for further investigation, PTI reported.

 

What happened

 

Around 12.30 am on Monday, two young men approached the immigration counter at Mumbai airport for routine passport and visa verification. They held visit visas for the UK and told officials they were students from a Haryana university travelling with their professor for an exchange programme.

 

When asked about their course of study and the university in London they were visiting, they failed to provide satisfactory answers. This raised suspicions, prompting officers to check further. Five more youths at different immigration counters were also found to be travelling to London with the same "professor," the news agency reported.

 

On questioning, the man said he was acting on instructions from two colleagues who were vocation heads at the Haryana University. He admitted to meeting an agent named Bittu at a Delhi hotel, where the seven youths had also gathered. According to police, Bittu had charged each youth Rs 20 lakh and obtained their visas by allegedly providing false details about a student exchange programme.

 

The professor brought the group from Delhi to Mumbai, where they were set to fly to London via Jeddah. Police said the case appeared to be one of human trafficking.

 

Student scams on the rise

 

With the UK government tightening immigration rules, cases of students being duped by fraudulent agents have increased, according to overseas education consultants.

 

NatWest’s 2023 Student Living Index found that a third of students in UK universities were targeted by criminals in 2022. Bournemouth recorded the highest number of student scams, with 44 percent of students reporting attempts to defraud them. Edinburgh and Oxford followed, with 41 percent of students affected. The report does not include country-wise figures.

 

Last month, the UK government launched a campaign in India to raise awareness about visa fraud. The ‘Visa Fraud Ton Bacho’ initiative, introduced at Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, aims to protect Indian citizens from the financial, physical, and emotional risks of irregular migration.

 

As part of the campaign, a dedicated WhatsApp helpline (+91 70652 51380) has been set up to provide support in English and Punjabi. It will help individuals identify visa scams and access official guidance for legally travelling to the UK.

 

The campaign also warns against false claims commonly made by fraudulent agents, such as guaranteed jobs in the UK, no requirement for English-language tests, and excessive fees, according to a press release from the UK Embassy in India.

 

Visa fraud can leave individuals in serious debt and vulnerable to exploitation. Those caught committing fraud risk a 10-year ban on travel to the UK. Under the Mobility and Migration Partnership Agreement, the UK and India have pledged to tackle irregular migration together.

 

British Deputy High Commissioner to India Christina Scott said in a press release, “The opportunity to visit, study and work in the UK has never been greater…However, young peoples' dreams are being exploited…That's why we are launching the…campaign.”

 

People will be advised to watch for false claims such as:  

Guaranteed jobs in the UK  

No requirement for English-language tests (IELTS)  

Excessive or hidden fees charged by agents