Airhostess’ lover arrested in immigration racket

The desperation to impress his girlfriend with a flat of his own landed Sarfraj Virani (28) behind the bars. The Crime Branch arrested Virani, a flight pursuer with Virgin Atlantic Airlines, on Monday, after his two-and-a half-month stint in the illegal US immigration racket.

With this, the Crime Branch has arrested 25 people since October when the racket was busted.

A senior Crime Branch officer, who is part of the investigating team, told HT on condition of anonymity that Virani, a resident of Bandra, was the boyfriend of Aliya Rizvi, the Jet Airways airhostess who was arrested in connection with the same racket. The duo had been seeing each other since their college days and Virani planned to marry her. However, Virani and his parents were living in a rented flat. Virani wanted to buy a flat before marrying Rizvi, the officer said.

Virani allegedly discussed this with Yusuf Beig, a Bandra-based boutique owner arrested earlier. Beig introduced Virani to Altaf Sheikh, kingpin of the racket. Sheikh offered Virani Rs 2 lakh to accompany an Ahmedabad-based Ramilaben Chowdhury (22) to the US by posing as her husband in September.

Beig and Sheikh arranged the marriage proofs within a week and Virani arranged the visas, courtesy his job with the airline.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria said Chowdhury wanted to join her family in the US and had contacted one of Sheikh’s agent. She had paid Rs 22 lakh for the visa.

Following his ‘successful’ task, Virani induced Rizvi to join the racket. Rizvi, who had been grounded by Jet Airways after she gained weight, unsuccessfully tried to smuggle an illegal immigrant, for which she was promised Rs 1.8 lakh.

Virani had fled to Pune along with his family following Rizvi’s arrest, said the officer. He had been hiding in his uncle’s flat in Kalyani Nagar, from where the Crime Branch arrested him.

News Source : Samachar