Chandigarh, Feb 2 (IANS) Offices of 20 agencies who were dealing in the multi-million rupee business of sending people to other countries by procuring work permits were sealed here Thursday for operating without licence, police said.
Two people were also arrested.
“We found that these companies were running their business by sending aspirants abroad on work permit visa without obtaining license from the PoE (Protector of Emigrants). These agents have been charging exorbitant amounts, ranging from Rs.7-8 lakh. These agencies are not even registered,” Chandigarh’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Naunihal Singh told reporters here.
“As per the rules, only Rs.25,000 or 45-day salary of the applicant can be charged by the agent. We have booked these firms under various sections of IPC (Indian Penal Code) and Immigration Act,” he said.
Police also seized the records and documents of the agents, including their computers.
A leading immigration consultancy, Worldwide Immigration Consultancy Services (WWICS), whose office was also sealed in Sector 22, later claimed that it dealt only in permanent residency for professionals, business persons and study visa for students.
“WWICS India does not deal in work permits for any country at all and thus does not fall under the preview of labour licence requirement under the Act. The same details have been submitted to the SSP-Chandigarh,” WWICS chairman and managing director B.S. Sandhu said here.
