Kharibari, 07th June: Police have arrested former Immigration Officer-in-charge Ravi Diyali in connection with a case involving the use of fake immigration stamps at the Indo-Nepal border in Panitanki.
The case came to light on 28th May when two Thai women were arrested while attempting to cross into Nepal from India using expired visas allegedly bearing forged immigration stamps. A four-wheeler driver was also arrested for allegedly assisting them.
According to sources, personnel of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) became suspicious while verifying travel documents at the border. Subsequent checks with the immigration department reportedly confirmed that the stamps used on the documents were fake, leading to the arrests.
During the investigation, police uncovered the alleged involvement of a larger network and launched a search for the main accused, identified as Jitendra Mehra from Rajasthan.
Investigators later found the name of former Immigration OC Ravi Diyali in connection with the case. He has been accused of assisting members of the alleged racket. Police are expected to produce him before the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Court and seek three days’ police remand.
The arrested former officer, however, has claimed that he is being falsely implicated in the case.