MUMBAI: A 49-year-old agent, who was wanted for three years in connection with a case of human trafficking and facilitating illegal immigration to the US, has been found involved in a fresh case of passport-related misrepresentation. Zakir Shaikh, a Goregaon resident, was held by the State Monitoring Cell (SMC) of the Gujarat Police recently. Police said Shaikh presented forged documentation before the Regional Passport Office, Malad East, to obtain passports under a different identity.In Dec 2022, the SMC had registered an FIR at Ahmedabad’s Sola High Court Police station against 18 people, including Shaikh, for conspiring among themselves and with others “to commit large scale passport fraud and human trafficking for financial gains between 2015 and 2022.” These 18 accused are based out of Mumbai, Delhi and Gujarat, and one of them lives in New Jersey, US. Their targets were people wanting to enter the US illegally through the US-Mexico border. The accused either contacted such people directly or through intermediaries. Using fake or forged documentation, they applied for visas of foreign countries for their targets. The SMC investigation has shown that they facilitated illegal immigration to the US on the basis of these documents, charging Rs 60 lakh to 70 lakh for individuals, Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.25 crore for couples, and Rs 21.75 crore in cases involving children. Police said Shaikh applied to the Regional Passport Office at Malad using a false identity– Sait Sameer Kareem. A different place of birth, date of birth and mother’s name was mentioned in this application. Proofs, such as Aadhaar card, driving licence and Pan card were provided to support the false identity. The application also claimed that he had studied up to class X when he had never actually been to school. Shaikh used the passport to flee from India, despite a Look Out Circular (LOC) being issued against him. Initially, he travelled to the UAE. The interpol issued a Red Corner Notice against him. Subsequently, he re-entered India through the Indo-Nepal Border.A fresh FIR was registered against him at the Dindoshi police station on May 25 in connection with the passport-related misrepresentation. Police said Shaikh has passport-related offences registered against him in Delhi as well.