Surat based engineer named Pratik Shah (also known as Abhijit or Prateek Nilesh Shah) was arrested in a joint operation by the Surat PCB Prevention of Crime Branch and SOG Special Operation Group.The raid conducted at his flat in the Rander area of Surat, specifically near Zaghadiya Chowki or in Samor Residency.
Ready-made fake visa stickers for countries like Canada, the UK, Germany, the Czech Republic, Macedonia, Serbia, and others—some reports mention 55 bogus stickers, and others refer to around five to eight fully or partially printed stickers.A variety of equipment including a laptop, printer, cutting machine, UV laser torch, embossing machine, and hallmark papers were used.
Shah used special watermark-bearing papers procured from platforms like Alibaba, then designed and printed convincing counterfeit visas using graphics editing software like CorelDRAW (some reports mention very basic tools like Paint).Each fake sticker sold for ₹15,000 to ₹25,000, depending on the complexity and client.
Over a span of approximately 10 years, he reportedly produced around 700 fake visa stickers.The fake visa stickers were sold to visa agents and travel facilitators across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Surat, and other Indian states.
These stickers were used to create a false history of international travel—particularly to the US and UK—to bolster visa applications using fabricated proofs of previous visits.
Shah is a habitual offender, with 12 fraud-related cases registered against him in locations such as Surat, Vadodara, Delhi (IGI Airport).
Shah has been remanded to six days of police custody as of the latest report.Six accomplices or agents have been declared wanted and are being hunted.
