They came close to boarding a flight to United Kingdom using fake covid reports

The seven men allegedly paid two Delhi-based agents Rs 12 lakh each to obtain their boarding passes, negative RT-PCR reports, and other documents.

If not for a last-minute check at the boarding gate, seven people would have boarded a flight from Delhi to London with fake boarding passes.

They were able to clear immigration for Air India flight No.

AI-133 was reported to be traveling from Delhi to London while posing as sailors with documents approved by the Directorate General of Shipping, according to news agency PTI.

On January 2, Air India ground staff stormed the boarding area, stopping these seven men and re-verifying their boarding passes.

Their names were not found on the passenger list, so Air India staff contacted immigration authorities to have them taken, according to the police.

The seven men allegedly paid two Delhi-based agents Rs 12 lakh each for their boarding passes, negative RT-PCR reports, and other documents.

The agents assured them that they would be able to stay in the United Kingdom permanently.

The seven Indians planned to destroy all of their papers and apply for asylum once they arrived in the United Kingdom.

According to the police, the agents knew the seven passengers would be apprehended if they went to the airline counter for boarding passes, so they gave them fake boarding passes and directed them to the immigration area.

The mastermind, Pankaj, was apprehended by police in Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh.

Pankaj and his aides Ranjeet and Krishna arranged the fake boarding passes, according to Sanjay Tyagi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport).

A first information report, or FIR, has been filed, and it will look into the possible involvement of airline employees who may have attempted to assist passengers in boarding the plane.

Pankaj is a BTech graduate who works in Mumbai as a property dealer.

Armandeep Singh, Amritpal Singh, Jagdeep Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Rahul Jangra, Deepak, and Manbeer are the passengers’ names, according to the police.