Viren Gandhi (52), a Canadian citizen, has been booked for visa tampering and illegal entry into India. The incident occurred on November 24 at Mumbai Airport, where Gandhi was apprehended by Airport Authority officials while attempting to travel to Bangkok.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), discrepancies were discovered when Gandhi presented his Canadian passport and boarding pass for verification at the immigration counter. On page 28 of Gandhi’s passport, the immigration officer noticed that the expiration date of the Indian ‘E’ visa had been altered to 20-02-2024. However, the immigration system indicated that the passport had expired on April 20, 2019.
Further investigation revealed that Gandhi had left India on February 27, 2019, from Delhi and returned from Dubai on November 11, 2023, via Mumbai Airport. Despite holding a double-entry visa valid for only one year, Gandhi is alleged to have tampered with the visa date.
The Airport Authority has filed a case against him under sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Indian Penal Code.