New Delhi/Chandigarh, April 17:— Two brothers from Punjab have been arrested for allegedly orchestrating the illegal travel of a man from Hong Kong to Delhi using the passport of another individual, officials said on Thursday.
The accused, identified as Neeraj Passi and his brother Sunny, also known as Joginder Pal, were arrested in Amritsar in connection with a case involving Harpal Singh—also a resident of the city—who arrived at Delhi’s IGI Airport from Hong Kong on April 7 using an Emergency Certificate.
“This certificate is a one-way travel document issued to Indian citizens abroad in case of lost, damaged, or unavailable passports,” an immigration official explained.
Singh had initially left for Hong Kong on February 29, 2016. While his return was recorded in June 2016, there was no official departure entry for his latest travel back to India, raising suspicion during immigration clearance. Authorities flagged this discrepancy, suspecting that someone else had traveled using Singh’s passport.
“Upon investigation, it became clear that the same passport had been used by another individual, indicating fraudulent use,” said a police officer posted at IGI Airport.
Singh was detained upon arrival and later arrested. During questioning, he admitted to paying ₹2 lakh to Sunny, who promised him travel and employment in Hong Kong. His journey was arranged with help from Neeraj, who booked his tickets. After reaching Hong Kong, Singh handed over his passport to an associate of the agents and took up employment there. He later applied for asylum, which was rejected in 2024.
Having overstayed illegally, Singh was deported by Hong Kong authorities. He returned to India on an Emergency Certificate, but the illegal use of his original passport led to conflicting immigration records.
“Singh confessed to the crime and revealed that he and his brother were involved in duping others by offering overseas job placements,” police said. Based on his disclosure, Neeraj was also taken into custody.
A case under relevant legal provisions has been registered at IGI Airport Police Station. Investigators are now working to uncover additional members of the network and scrutinize related financial transactions.
“Further investigation is underway to dismantle the full syndicate,” an officer added.
