Checkmate: 4 held for faking papers to go play chess in the US
NEERAJ CHAUHAN
Posted online: Tuesday , February 19, 2008 at 11:49:00
Updated: Tuesday , February 19, 2008 at 12:07:56
New Delhi, February 18 They claimed they would represent India in a purported chess championship in the United States. Three days later the four from Gujarat are cooling their heels in Tihar Jail, after the New Delhi district police arrested the wannabe kings of 64 squares for forging documents to get visas.
Police sources today said the four attached forged bank statements with their visa applications. Antennae raised, US Embassy officials alerted the Chankyapuri police on Wednesday that some of the documents looked suspicious, sources said.
The police registered a case of forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy and the four — Naresh Kumar, Kishore, Anil Kumar and Ravi Kumar, all in their forties — were arrested the same day. They had applied for the visa on February 10, embassy officials have told the police.
They claimed they were invited to take part in the 2007-2008 Central Washington Chess Tournament. Visa applications said they were residents of Mehsana and Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and were part of ‘Oriental Chess Club’, from the state. Police sources said the visa applications mentioned the championship would begin on February 25 and would go on till March-end.
Post-arrest, the four have been sent to Tihar Jail.
During interrogation they claimed to have participated in many chess championships in Gujarat, a police source said. But, the source added, that claim could be a sham. “We have sent a team to their native place to verify their antecedents,” a police officer associated with the case said. “We will also verify the authenticity of the chess club they mentioned.”
According to police officers, based on statements of the accused and US Embassy officials a probe is on to trace whether this was part of a bigger human trafficking racket. Chanakyapuri police have made several arrests in the past one year on such human trafficking charges.
Recently, three persons were arrested after they applied for visas on religious grounds, as reported by Newsline on January 30.
Source: http://www.expressindia.com/
This report makes no sense to me. Can’t citizens of India get simple tourist visas? Why would they need to fake chess tournament invitations?
I really don’t know if they need particular reasons, other than tourism, to get U.S. visas. But I would be surprised if that is so restrictive.
Hi! Getting tourist visas to the US is INCREDIBLY difficult especially in countries like India and the Philippines. Embassy officials automatically assume you have the intention of illegally immigrating unless you can show evidence of compelling reason to return to your country. In other words, you are judged guilty unless proven innocemt. I’d like to see them try that kind of philosophy in the U.S.
You’d be surprised how your tax dollars support this kind of nonsense in your consulates and embassies abroad.
First we have the Fake Slam Slime now we have the Fake Chess Players…
What is next the Fake World Chess Champion wishing to lend his crown out?
Thx scugrad for this hint. I didn’t consider the illegal immigration problem nor human trafficking. Nevertheless, the report is still irritating. I read, these persons have been ‘sent to jail’ but I don’t read anything about a court session or -trial. I don’t know anything about the law system there but this sounds strange. Faking a chess tournament invitation (for whatever reason) cannot be a big crime, especially if nothing else than to ask for a visa has been conducted.
This is definately disturbing.
(I say this from an european viewpoint not being US citizen, but that shouldn’t matter.)
Prevention is better than cure. Most developing and under-developed countries are known to have a high rate of illegal immigration into Europe and America. Given the vast geographical difference between India and the U.S., people resort to other means to try to get in because they cannot simply jump the border. Why take the risk of having everyone over and then scurrying to find them once they go missing here. They could be potential terror threats as well…
I mean why would some unheard of players spend so much money to try to play in a chess tournament half a world across which won’t yield them a positive rate of return on their investment?
I think my tax dollars are doing fine at least with respect to cases like these.
Interesting that these people were arrested in India for an attempt to use fake papers to enter US, a crime not worth a pre-trial arrest whatsoever. but it’s their problem, no our.
getting a tourist visa is possible, but the chance to get trurned down is high. after that you have a permanent problem with a US visa.
US consulates are generally reasonable, though i am aware of some strange decisions. Hovewer, the immigration authorities here inside the US are lazy, costly and often incompetent. The situation got MUCH worse after the DHS was established. this extra level of bureaucracy has nothing to do with security, its only purpose is increasing the staff further on.
it will only get worse after McCain or Clinton moves into White House (Dunno about Obama)