Police in Gujarat's Bharuch district have exposed a sophisticated illegal immigration racket involving a fabricated marriage and a counterfeit divorce decree to secure a UK dependent visa. The scheme unraveled after the man who acted as the fake 'husband' approached authorities following a payment dispute with the woman's family.
The Complaint That Unraveled the Plot
According to Police Inspector Anand Chaudhary of the Palej police station, the case came to light in October 2025. Rizwan Meda, a resident of Valan village in Bharuch who currently lives in the United Kingdom, filed a complaint through a friend holding his Power of Attorney, Minhaz Yaqub Ughrardhar. The complaint centered on a financial disagreement over a promised sum of money.
"The application was made as the parties allegedly had a dispute over the payment of the promised money by the woman's family," Inspector Chaudhary stated. The investigation that followed revealed a well-planned conspiracy to commit forgery and cheat immigration systems.
How the Fake Marriage Visa Scheme Worked
The police investigation found that the plot was initiated in February 2024. Rizwan Meda used a forged marriage certificate, or nikahnama, that falsely showed him as married to Taslimabanu Karbhari, a resident of Jambusar. Using this fabricated document, an agent named Shoaib Dawood Ikhkharia helped initiate the UK dependent visa process for Taslimabanu.
The plan succeeded, and Taslimabanu moved to the UK based on the fake marriage. The agreement, as per police, involved a payment of Rs 3.5 lakh to Meda for his role, along with the creation of a fake divorce decree to later dissolve the marriage on paper, freeing Meda to sponsor a genuine spouse in the future.
"After this, there was a dispute over the financial consideration between the two parties," Chaudhary explained. The disagreement prompted Meda to go to the police. Simultaneously, Taslimabanu's brother, Faizal Karbhari (also a UK resident), approached a lawyer, Sajid Kothiya from Kanthariya, to create a fake divorce decree purportedly from the Bharuch court.
Legal Repercussions and International Fallout
All involved parties have been formally charged. Rizwan Meda, Taslimabanu Karbhari, her brother Faizal (referred to as Rizwan in the FIR), and lawyer Sajid Kothiya have been booked under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including:
- Section 467 (Forgery of a valuable security)
- Section 468 (Forgery for the purpose of cheating)
- Section 471 (Using a forged document as genuine)
- Section 120B (Criminal conspiracy)
- Sections 177 and 114 for furnishing false information and abetment.
While lawyer Sajid Kothiya has reportedly fled to Canada, the Bharuch police have taken decisive action regarding the other accused, who are in the UK. "We have initiated the process to communicate to the British High Commission and Embassy about the case lodged against Meda as well as the Karbhari siblings," Chaudhary confirmed.
This communication is expected to trigger deportation proceedings. Inspector Chaudhary asserted, "The (UK) authorities will begin the process to deport them once they receive the information about the criminal case... There is sufficient ground for the UK authorities to deport the accused. We will arrest them whenever they land in India."
The case highlights the lengths to which individuals go for illegal immigration and the serious legal consequences, including international deportation and criminal prosecution in India, that follow such fraudulent acts.
