Fake marriage, divorce papers used to send a Gujarat woman to UK! Bharuch Police bust illegal immigration racket

The case surfaced after a dispute over money between the accused parties led the man shown as the woman’s “husband” in official records to approach the police.

Investigators say the complaint was triggered when the agreed payment for arranging the illegal migration was not fully settled.

Palej Police Inspector Anand Chaudhary said Rizwan Meda, a resident of Valan village in Bharuch district who is currently based in the UK, contacted district police in October last year through a power of attorney given to his friend Minhaz Yaqub Ughrardhar. Meda alleged that the woman’s family had failed to pay the agreed amount.

During the inquiry, police discovered that Meda and others had allegedly planned the operation by creating forged marriage certificates, or nikahnamas, and a fake court-issued divorce order to facilitate the visa process.

According to police, the plan was executed in February 2024, when Meda allegedly used a fabricated marriage registration document showing Jambusar resident Taslimabanu Karbhari as his wife.

On the basis of this document, a UK dependent visa application was filed through an agent, Shoaib Dawood Ikhkharia. The visa was granted, and Taslimabanu subsequently travelled to the UK.

Problems arose after she reached Britain. Chaudhary said the woman’s family had reportedly agreed to pay Rs 3.5 lakh to Meda for arranging the visa and securing a fake divorce order.

When a dispute broke out over the payment, Meda decided to alert the police.

Investigators further found that around the same time, Taslimabanu’s brother Faizal approached a lawyer, Sajid Kothiya of Kanthariya, to obtain a forged divorce order from a Bharuch court.

The document was allegedly created to show that Meda and Taslimabanu were legally divorced, effectively ending her dependent status.

Police allege that the fake divorce order was later presented in the UK as a genuine court document.

At the time, Taslimabanu was living in Britain with the help of her brother Faizal, who is also based there.

Meda, Taslimabanu, her brother Faizal and lawyer Sajid Kothiya have been booked under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including forgery, cheating, using forged documents as genuine, criminal conspiracy and furnishing false information.

Police said they have initiated the process of formally informing the British High Commission and Embassy about the case, as the main accused are currently in the UK.