By IndiaHub 
They did this visa scam during January, 2021 to May, 2022 and initially this scam had gone unnoticed as this person funneled the money and laundered it through different domestic and international bank accounts. Moreover, in an attempt to kill the evidence, he destroyed all the documents given by the applicants and processed by him in the Embassy.
However, CBI acting on a tip, investigated the matter and found out the entire money trail including the money these fraudsters kept in international locations. The CBI also managed to get India’s first ever silver notice published by Interpol to trace their assets abroad.
The CBI said in a press release dated June 11, 2025: “The International Operations Division of CBI, on the basis of inputs of a visa fraud in the Embassy of France, New Delhi, registered a case. A network of visa agents, mostly based in Punjab received money ranging from Rs 13 Lakh to Rs 45 Lakh from each visa applicant and in lieu of these large sums of money, visa applications were processed by the accused and after issuance of Schengen visas, the accused destroyed the visa documents and files.”
Read below to know the details of the case.
How did this Schengen visa fraud work without anybody noticing for years?
The CBI said that there are eight accused of this scam: a local law officer in the visa department of the Embassy of France, his father, brother and wife, two visa agents and two middlemen.
CBI said: “During investigation, it was established that during the period of January, 2021 to May, 2022, while working as Local Law Officer in Visa Department of the Embassy of France, New Delhi, the accused targeted applicants from Punjab seeking Schengen visas, through a network of visa agents and induced them to give huge amount of money for obtaining Schengen visas.”
The CBI also said: “During investigation, huge amounts of cash and multiple documents relating to properties worth crores, acquired in India and abroad were found at various locations in Punjab and Delhi. Two accused Visa agents were the key co-conspirators who funneled the money through various bank accounts, which ultimately reached the accused Local Law Officer and his family members-Brother, Father and Wife through the two accused middlemen.”
CBI said: “In order to trace the proceeds of crime abroad, the International Operations Division of CBI, in coordination with the International Police Cooperation Unit of CBI were also successful in getting India’s first Silver notice published in this case. CBI successfully coordinated with multiple agencies including international agencies to secure evidence in the case. CBI is committed to tackle crime across international boundaries and help victims in India and abroad, who have been duped by such criminal networks.”