AI staff held for trafficking women on free tickets

“These Air India employees are entitled to two free airline tickets for their relatives each year,and it is much easier for them to get visas to the US. In September 2007,Salvi availed himself of this entitlement and flew from Mumbai to Shanghai and then to New York,accompanied by his wife. However,he returned alone to Mumbai. Again in April 2008,Morade did the same thing and he also came back alone. The vigilance department of Air India took note of this and started discreet enquiries,” said an SSB official,who did not wish to be named.

The vigilance department discovered that the wives who were flown to the US were actually imposters. Air India then approached the US consulate for further information on these two cases in December 2008. The consulate confirmed that the two women were imposters and had flown on forged passports to New York.

“The US consulate lodged a complaint with the crime branch on February 10,and our team located the actual wives in the city itself. Accordingly,Salvi and Morade were arrested. They were given Rs 3 lakh each. Ansari,who was arrested on Tuesday,used to fly with them till Shanghai to make sure everything was in order,” the officer said.

Salvi and Morade had approached the Bombay High Court for bail,but their petition was rejected. Ansari is in police custody till April 2. Sources said the police are on the lookout for a Dahisar resident,identified as Imtiyaz Moradia,who forged the passports and is the main conspirator.