NEW DELHI: In a meticulously orchestrated plan executed three years ago, Vijai Mohandoss believed he had covered all his tracks with precision. However, as with many criminals who unwittingly leave behind incriminating evidence, he never anticipated that a seemingly inconspicuous "camera image" would ultimately become the key to his downfall.
The impersonation came to light on January 19, when the 25-year-old, a resident of Thiruvarur in Tamil Nadu, arrived at the Delhi Airport from Birmingham. As he navigated the arrival immigration clearance, scrutiny of his travel details revealed a significant discrepancy.
Officials found that his most recent departure from India transpired in January 2020 from Chennai to the UK, during which the individual had undertaken the journey on the merits of a student visa to the UK, utilising a previous passport.
They also found that an additional departure record in March 2021, where the individual embarked on a journey from Bangalore to the UK, was also facilitated under the auspices of the UK's student visa.
However, there was a peculiar detail that caught the eye of immigration officials. Discrepancies emerged from a scrutiny of camera images depicting the individual's departure in March 2021.
It became evident that the person captured in the March imagery differed from the individual who had arrived on January 19, signaling a crucial revelation—that the departure three years prior was not executed by Vijai, but rather by an entirely different individual.
The authorities were alerted, and Vijai was questioned.
It was revealed during the investigation that Vijai, driven by motives involving financial gains or other undisclosed reasons, sent his passport through courier to an accomplice based in India.
Further, the accomplice, posing as Vijai, used this passport to dodge authorities and depart from Bangalore.
The 25-year-old youth was handed over to the police, who registered an FIR under relevant sections of law for allegedly cheating Indian immigration authorities by facilitating another individual to travel on his passport.