Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09CHENNAI306
2009-10-13 01:10:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Chennai
Cable title:  

India Biannual Fraud Update

Tags:  KFRD CVIS CPAS CMGT ASEC IN 
pdf how-to read a cable
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 17 CHENNAI 000306 

CA/FPP FOR JILL NYSTROM
DS/CR/CFI FOR GALEN NACE
DS/CR/VPAU FOR TIM LONGANACRE AND YVETTE COLMAN
Pass to DHS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KFRD CVIS CPAS CMGT ASEC IN
SUBJECT: India Biannual Fraud Update

REF: A) 07 State 171211, B) 08 New Delhi 2915, C) New Delhi 1364, D)
Mumbai 293, E) 08 Mumbai 17, F) 07 Chennai 695, G) 08 Chennai 372,
H) 08 Chennai 212, I) 07 Chennai 704, J) 08 Mumbai 367, K) 08
Kolkata 73, L) Chennai 157, M) Mumbai 117, N) Chennai 173, O) Mumbai
293, P) New Delhi 1299, Q) Chennai 91, R) Chennai 13, S) New Delhi
175, T) Chennai 158, U) New Delhi 638, V) Chennai 174, W) Mumbai
151, X) New Delhi 1429

---------------

A. COUNTRY CONDITIONS
---------------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 17 CHENNAI 000306

CA/FPP FOR JILL NYSTROM
DS/CR/CFI FOR GALEN NACE
DS/CR/VPAU FOR TIM LONGANACRE AND YVETTE COLMAN
Pass to DHS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KFRD CVIS CPAS CMGT ASEC IN
SUBJECT: India Biannual Fraud Update

REF: A) 07 State 171211, B) 08 New Delhi 2915, C) New Delhi 1364, D)
Mumbai 293, E) 08 Mumbai 17, F) 07 Chennai 695, G) 08 Chennai 372,
H) 08 Chennai 212, I) 07 Chennai 704, J) 08 Mumbai 367, K) 08
Kolkata 73, L) Chennai 157, M) Mumbai 117, N) Chennai 173, O) Mumbai
293, P) New Delhi 1299, Q) Chennai 91, R) Chennai 13, S) New Delhi
175, T) Chennai 158, U) New Delhi 638, V) Chennai 174, W) Mumbai
151, X) New Delhi 1429

--------------

A. COUNTRY CONDITIONS
--------------


1. India-wide consular operations are among the busiest in the
world. In FY-2008, Mission India processed more than 756,000
non-immigrant visa applications and 27,000 immigrant visa
applications. While the majority of applicants from India are bona
fide travelers and migrants, the volume of fraudulent applications
is still significant. Some states, such as Gujarat and Punjab, are
traditional sources of migration out of India and fraudulent
applications from these areas are more common than from other
regions of India. The state of Andhra Pradesh, and in particular
its capital of Hyderabad, has been identified as a large center of
documentary fraud which affects all India posts.


2. The world economic crisis affected the travel environment in
India in FY-2008 and FY-2009. The domestic civilian aviation
industry struggled to manage costs amidst slower traffic and rapid
expansion, with even the traditionally most successful airlines
looking for alliances and partnerships. Discretionary travel -
including international travel -- was off and affected Mission India
NIV demand. Economic observers in India predict that the global
slowdown will reduce India's GDP growth from about 9.0 percent to
around 6.5 percent this fiscal year and 5.5-6 percent next fiscal
year (starting April 1). While U.S., Indian, and multinational
businesses with strong ties to the U.S. economy have slowed down
their expansion plans, they are continuing to hire - albeit at a
slower pace.


3. Despite this difficult economic climate, demand for visa
appointments from the intending immigrant population in northern
India has remained strong. An opinion poll published in the popular

Times of India in January 2007 noted that 37 percent of the 1.1
billion Indians would emigrate if they had the chance. Many Indians
have tried to migrate using non-immigrant visas, and a greater
number of Indian nationals apply for employment-based H and L visas
than any other nationality worldwide. Mission India processes more
H and L visas than any other country in the world, more than 30
percent of the world total in FY-2008. Although H and L visa
applications were down slightly in FY-2009 due to the worldwide
economic environment, Mission India still processed 120,320 H and L
visa applications in the first three quarters of FY-2009, including
60,725 in Chennai alone. Mission India processed 192,332 H and L
visa adjudications in FY-2008 and 190,087 in FY-2007. Chennai,
Mumbai and New Delhi have been the three busiest H-1B visa
processing posts in the world for the past five fiscal years, and we
project that India posts will comprise the top four in the world now
that the new Consulate General in Hyderabad is adjudicating visas.

CHENNAI 00000306 002 OF 017





4. In FY-2009, the non-immigrant visa classes most often targeted
for fraud were B1/B2 business travelers/tourists, H-1B temporary
workers, F1 student visas, and P3 culturally unique artists. Since
the implementation of the new petition requirement for R-1 religious
workers, Mission India has seen very few fraudulent R-1 cases. The
most commonly targeted immigrant visa classes were IR-1s and CR 1s
in Delhi and F-2B and F-2A visas in Mumbai and Chennai. During the
six month period from March through August 2009, Mission India's
consular sections identified a total of 3,596 cases of suspected
visa fraud (Chennai - 1,237, New Delhi - 949, Mumbai - 809,
Hyderabad - 523, Kolkata - 78).

5. Most of India's fraudulent applicants come from specific and
easily defined regional areas within each consular district. These
states have some of the most mobile populations in India and the
largest concentrations of expatriate communities overseas, including
in the United States. In New Delhi, cases originating from the
Punjab comprise the majority of its IV and fraud caseloads, while
the same can be said in Mumbai with Gujarat. Chennai and
Hyderabad's fraud workload comes principally from Andhra Pradesh.
--------------

B. NON-IMMIGRANT VISA FRAUD
--------------


6. Fraudulent NIV applications make up a small portion of the total
NIV cases but constitute the vast majority of cases referred to FPU.
During the reporting period, Mission India identified 3,083 total
cases of possible NIV fraud. Just over half of those cases resulted
in a finding of confirmed fraud (Chennai - 1,182 cases , 60 percent
confirmed fraud rate of completed investigations; New Delhi - 685,
34 percent; Mumbai - 615, 56 percent; Hyderabad - 523, Kolkata -
78, 30 percent).


7. B1/B2 visa fraud is the most commonplace. Regionally-based fraud
rings throughout the country, but especially in Hyderabad, continue
to produce fraudulent documents for visa application and travel
purposes. Some visa "consultants" and travel agents specialize in
fraudulent experience letters and fake document packages, which
include passport copies of false relatives, bogus financial
documents, and affidavits of support.


8. In the last six months the number of reported B1/B2 fraud cases
throughout the Mission has nearly doubled from 1,089 to 2,121. The
increase is mostly due to an increased use of the "suspicious docs"
function in the NIV system, although several posts have increased
their fraud detection in B1/B2 cases. If an applicant admits to
submitting a fraudulent document package, Chennai uses extensive
text searches to identify additional cases with the same fraudulent
details. New Delhi uncovered an extensive network of fraudulent
Lions Club conference attendees (ref C). Mumbai recently discovered
a scam involving unqualified children being misrepresented as
attending different schools in an attempt to boost their financial
credibility as Space Camp attendees (ref D). As a result, Mumbai
now requires signed affidavits by chaperones and has physically
canceled the visas of several large camp groups. In FY-2008, Mumbai
confirmed an overstay rate of less than one percent for male B1/B2

CHENNAI 00000306 003 OF 017


applicants between ages 20 and 35 (ref E).


--------------
H-1B Visa Fraud
--------------

8. H-1B fraud is one of the top two visa categories for fraud
throughout Mission India. All posts regularly encounter inflated or
fabricated educational and employment qualifications. The vast
majority of these documents come from Hyderabad. In the 18 months
prior to the start-up of consular operations in Hyderabad, FPU
Chennai investigated 150 companies in Hyderabad, 77 percent of which
turned out to be fraudulent or highly suspect (ref F). Most of
those cases slated for site visits were to verify the experience
letters for H-1B applicants who did not meet minimum educational
qualifications.

9. The state of Andhra Pradesh, and Hyderabad in particular, has
long been the hub for fraudulent document vendors in India.
Hyderabadi applicants comprised over one-third of Chennai's total
visa workload in FY-2008, but well over half of the FPU workload.
In its first three months of adjudications, investigations by
Consulate General Hyderabad have already led to the arrests of
several document vendors, to be reported septel. FPU Mumbai has
identified several Hyderabad-based fraud schemes whereby Hyderabadi
applicants claimed to work for fictitious companies in Pune in order
to apply in Mumbai's consular district and avoid Chennai. During
recent site visits in Bangalore (ref G),FPU Chennai encountered
several fictitious companies staffed by Hyderabadis. The
Hyderabadis claimed that they had opened shell companies in
Bangalore because "everyone knows Hyderabad has fraud and Bangalore
is reputable."

10. Mission India continues to be at the forefront of H and L
adjudications and training. Over the last three years, Mission
India has hosted successful country-wide and international H and L
conferences to harmonize adjudication techniques and fraud
prevention strategies. In the last two months of FY-2009 alone,
Chennai hosted and conducted H and L training for officers and LES
Fraud Assistants from Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Auckland, Shanghai,
Hyderabad, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Numerous other posts
communicate regularly with Mission India on problematic H and L
cases. In April 2008, Mission India's Country Fraud Prevention
Coordinator attended a KCC conference on "The Future of H and L
Processing," and in May 2008 Chennai hosted a worldwide H and L
fraud conference (ref H) attended by DHS, KCC, CA/VO, CA/FPP, DS and
multiple posts that adjudicate large numbers of Indian H-1B
applicants. Presentations from that conference are available on the
intranet at http://intranet.ca.state.gov/
fraud/resources/niv/hl/20107.aspx. At the end of FY-2007, Mission
India hosted a countrywide H and L fraud conference in New Delhi
(ref I) and hosted another in September 2009.

11. FPU Mumbai identified a recent trend of "mix-and-match" couples
where multiple H-4 spouses pretended to be married to the same H-1B
spouse resident in the United States. These applicants were to pay
upon issuance approximately $70,000 to the smuggler that arranged
their documentation.
--------------
Religious Workers

CHENNAI 00000306 004 OF 017


--------------


13. Prior to the USCIS requirement that R-1 applications be
petition-based, India detected considerable fraud among applicants
for R-1 and R-2 visas traveling to the United States for religious
purposes. During the last two years, most R-1 fraud was detected
amongst Tibetan refugees, Sikh raagis, and Hindu priests. Mission
R-1 fraud includes both fraudulent beneficiaries and fictitious
inviting parties. Since DHS began requiring petitions for R-1
applicants in November, R-1 fraud referrals have almost completely
dried up. Since DHS requires 100 percent on-site verification of
petitioners, however, many potential R-1 applicants now apply for
B1/B2 visas in an attempt to avoid closer scrutiny.


14. Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata have all recently reported on R-1
fraud trends (refs J, K and L). Mumbai noted that following
numerous FPU site visits in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra in
which none of the purported Sikhs were legitimate religious workers,
CY-2008 R-1 visa refusals have climbed to nearly 70 percent. Mumbai
and Kolkata noted similar findings that Sikhs and Tibetan monks had
the highest percentage of confirmed fraud during this period.
Kolkata confirmed that 85 percent of R-1 Buddhist monks from the
Northern District of West Bengal did not belong to the monasteries
as they claimed. Most of these fake priests were from Nepal or from
the south Indian state of Karnataka. FPU Kolkata observed that
Buddhist priests and monks from this region all speak Hindi, and
Buddhist monks who claim to speak only Tibetan are not from West
Bengal. A recent Mission-wide study of stateless B1/B2 applicants,
most of whom were purportedly Tibetan monks, confirmed an overstay
rate of over fifty percent.


15. Coordination between the FPUs throughout Mission India has been
highly effective in preventing fraud in many religious worker visa
cases. An astute catch by the FPM in Kolkata caught several
fraudulent R-1 applicants applying the same week in Mumbai and New
Delhi. Based on an A/RSO-I investigation in New Delhi that
uncovered fake stamps for an organization in Michigan, Chennai
arranged the arrest of three fake Sikhs, and the Kolkata FPM used
Watch Phrase to alert U.S. Mission New Zealand about its applicants
connected to the same Michigan organization. These cases are now
under investigation by DS. Technology tools, such as Watch Phrase
and Text Search, have proven invaluable in combating R-1 fraud.

--------------
Student Visas
--------------


16. Many student applicants, even legitimate ones, are taken in by
document vendors. They present fraudulent packages of bank
statements and land documents in their interviews, and they are
guided by advertising and news articles, such as the one in
Hyderabad which declared, "Study Part-Time, Work Full-Time" on an
F-1 student visa. In May, police arrested a document vendor in
Hyderabad who provided fraudulent financial records for nearly 100
visa applicants, including many well qualified students. In June
2008, Chennai conducted an open house for local journalists to
dispel the myths surrounding the visa process and to encourage

CHENNAI 00000306 005 OF 017


students in particular not to rely on visa facilitators. CA/FPP has
been instrumental in identifying schools that have a bad track
record of students not maintaining status once in the United States.
Mumbai confirmed a very low overstay rate in its recent Summer Work
and Travel validation study (ref M).


--------------
Performer Visas
--------------


17. Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi have all been active in combating
fraud of cultural performers and reporting on P3 fraud trends (Refs
N, O, and P). The highest rate of fraud is in New Delhi, which has
developed a mandatory FPU prescreening program for these types of
cases. Its study validated an overall refusal rate of 56 percent
and confirmed an overstay rate of five percent. Mumbai found that
while P3 holders did not overstay their visas, several did report
being mistreated and underpaid.


18. An investigation by the Chennai FPU in 2008 uncovered a visa
fraud racket through which famous Tamil film actors and industry
associates assisted mala fide applicants to obtain B1/B2 visas,
purportedly to scout movie locations (ref Q). Over two hundred
applicants applied for visas under this scheme, and 95 were issued.
Thirty-eight of those applicants are confirmed overstays who are
currently illegally present in the United States. FPU revoked the
visas of 56 other individuals, mostly Tamil film stars and industry
associates, for their direct role in this visa scheme. The case
generated significant press attention throughout India and appeared
on all of the major news networks, thereby creating a very
high-profile anti-fraud awareness campaign.

--------------

C. IMMIGRANT VISA FRAUD
--------------


20. During the reporting period, Mission India identified 513
potential cases of IV fraud (New Delhi - 264, 30 percent confirmed
fraud rate; Mumbai - 194, 32 percent; Chennai - 55, 30 percent).
Kolkata and Hyderabad, which do not process IVs, assisted with
several site visits in their respective consular districts.
Although all posts face similar fraud trends (i.e. fraudulent
relationships, fake civil documents, etc.) and have almost identical
confirmed fraud rates, the volume of IV cases in New Delhi and
Mumbai is significantly larger than that of Chennai.


21. The F and CR categories are particularly troublesome throughout
Mission India, and posts see false family relationships and
fictitious marriages and divorces every day. The Indian custom of
arranged marriages makes adjudicating IR and CR cases particularly
difficult, as the husband and wife often do not meet until just
before their marriage. Many of the IV fraud referrals in Mumbai are
CR-1 or F-21 cases stemming from "arranged" marriages between U.S.
citizens or LPRs and Indian nationals. Thus, much of the FPUs' time
is dedicated to determining the legitimacy of the family
relationships that sustain the claim to immigrant status.

CHENNAI 00000306 006 OF 017




22. New Delhi FPU investigates cases through a combination of
Lexis-Nexis and PIERS checks on the petitioner side, and CCD checks,
voters ID checks and calls to villagers. The majority of Post's IV
fraud originates in Punjab state. Over the past year New Delhi FPU
has broken numerous cases in which the beneficiary provided a false
Voter's ID by searching the official voter registration on-line at
http://www.ceopunjab.nic.in/. This site indicates who lives in the
voter's house, their ages and marital status and/or father's name.
Local police accepted three such cases of Voter's ID fraud for
investigation. Calls are still the unit's most valuable resource.
Using the online phone lists, the FPU can locate phone numbers in
the area in which the applicant lives and call those neighbors for
information about the beneficiary and sometimes petitioner. This is
more effective in rural areas; city residents are less informed/less
willing to talk about their neighbors.


23. Posts also frequently encounter misrepresentations of marital
status in order to benefit from later "current processing dates"
(e.g. falsely claiming to be single by denying the applicant has a
spouse and children in order to qualify for F1 classification) and
misrepresentations of the age of children in order to qualify as
part of the family eligible to immigrate. Chennai has seen the
largest number of these cases originating from the state of Kerala
(ref R).

--------------

D. DIVERSITY VISA FRAUD
--------------


24. Although Indians are generally ineligible to participate in the
Diversity Visa program, Kolkata conducted five DV investigations for
Nepalese nationals. All five cases were confirmed fraudulent.

--------------

E. ACS AND U.S. PASSPORT FRAUD
--------------

25. Although passport and CRBA-related fraud exists, few cases have
been reported. During the rating period, New Delhi and Mumbai
reported 42 fraud checks, 39 of which were for DNA. Only one of
these cases resulted in a confirmed fraud finding. The rise in DNA
verifications in Mumbai is primarily due to fraud concerns in
surrogacy cases. Mumbai, New Delhi and Hyderabad have all noted
increasing numbers of surrogacy cases, to be reported septel.
--------------

F. ADOPTION FRAUD
--------------


26. During the reporting period, no posts referred any adoption
cases for review. Recent media accounts have focused attention on
reportedly fraudulent adoptions in India by Australian parents.
Other countries have also expressed concerns about cases stemming
from questionable orphanages in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Indian authorities are investigating these claims (Ref S).

--------------

G. Use of DNA Testing

CHENNAI 00000306 007 OF 017


--------------

27. Mission India does not currently have any fraud concerns with
DNA testing. Guidance for all posts is to utilize DNA testing as a
last resort, and most cases are resolved through interviews, phone
calls and site visits. During the rating period, Mission India
conducted DNA testing in 91 cases, and in only five Mumbai IV cases
was fraud confirmed. This does not include DNA tests on behalf of
DHS, or cases for which DNA was recommended but the applicant did
not submit a sample.
--------------

H. Asylum and Other DHS Benefits Fraud
--------------

28. All posts now refer FDNS requests to FDNS HQ for appropriate
dissemination. Since those cases should be routed to the USCIS, ICE
and CBP representatives at Embassy New Delhi, the number of DHS
referrals has decreased significantly in the past six months to only
32 cases (Mumbai 22, Chennai - 6, Hyderabad - 2, New Delhi - 2).
Twenty-three of those requests were for DNA. DHS New Delhi
processes DNA cases only in the Delhi consular district.
--------------

I. Alien Smuggling, Trafficking, Organized Crime, Terrorist Travel
--------------


29. Alien smuggling from and through India using fraudulent travel
documents is one of the most serious challenges facing posts in the
region. Smuggling ranges from individual document vendors to
sophisticated criminal organizations that move hundreds of people to
the U.S. each year. Delhi and Mumbai have become key transit points
for illegal migrants proceeding to the U.S. from India. DS/CR/VPAU,
in consultation with DRSO/I New Delhi, and the Austrian, Canadian,
British, and New Zealand High Commissions continue to monitor
third-country nationals transiting New Delhi with counterfeit
documents. Individuals of numerous nationalities, including
Armenians, Iraqis, Moroccans, Georgian, Bangladeshi, Congolese,
Nepalese, and Sri Lankans have been intercepted attempting to
transit New Delhi with fraudulent documents. Other Indian airports
have also been reporting similar patterns. From 10/2008 to 04/2009,
there were 32 encounters/off-loads involving Nepalese/Tibetans via
New Delhi enroute to JFK alone.


30. Trafficking in persons (TIP) remains an area of concern. India
is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and
children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual
exploitation and forced labor. Internal trafficking of women and
girls for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced
marriage is prevalent. The GOI estimates 90 percent of India's sex
trafficking is internal, although estimates of the number of
trafficking victims vary widely and are generally unreliable.
Recent years have seen an increase in trafficking to medium-sized
cities and satellite towns of large cities. India is also a
destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladesh trafficked
for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.

--------------

J. DS Criminal Fraud Investigations
--------------


CHENNAI 00000306 008 OF 017



31. The single greatest development in combating fraud in India has
been expansion of the RSO-I program and the close relationship
between A/RSO-Is and FPMs throughout Mission India. All posts have
an A/RSO-I, and since FY-2008, the I-program in India has
facilitated the arrests of over 380 mala fide applicants and
vendors. All of the RSO-Is and FPMs attended the Mission-wide fraud
conferences at the end of FY-2007 and FY-2009 and the H and L
Conference in Chennai in May 2008. All RSO-Is and FPMs are included
in a common email group that is used daily, and the D/RSO-I and
Country Coordinator for Fraud Prevention Programs plan their
quarterly trips to each post in consultation with one another.


32. As the A/RSO-I/FPU program expands in India to move beyond
arrest statistics and personnel growth, the program has inevitably
encountered challenges in another stage of criminal prosecutions;
court trials. Permission to testify in foreign courts must be
sought and obtained according to international treaty standards and
stringent FAM regulations. Seeking such permission has been an
infrequent requirement since most officers are long gone by the time
cases reach their court dates. However, these summons are
anticipated to occur much more frequently now, particularly given
the high volume of arrests in FY-2008. In a recent case, ARSO/I
Mumbai obtained such approval after much guidance and consultation
with D/RSO-I and L/DL and was able to testify in January 2009 in a
large-scale smuggling case involving H4 visa fraud. A procedure has
since been established to facilitate future summons delivery,
immunity, and testimonial issues.


33. ARSO/Is have also sought to address the "transferred officer"
syndrome, by encouraging the use of FSNI's as complainants in fraud
cases brought to local law enforcement for investigation; a practice
in use by other ARSO/I-FPU programs in Indonesia and Colombia. Based
on initiatives by ARSO/Is in India, L/DL recently made an important
decision to allow FSNs to sign and file the initial police reports
with Indian law enforcement. By the time these cases reach the
courts, there is a much greater likelihood that the FSNs on the
report will still be available to act as witnesses than there is for
the ARSO/I. This will help ensure that cases generated by ARSO/I and
FPU efforts will complete the full cycle of crime detection,
investigation, and prosecution.


34. Finally, as a result of an increasing amount of pressure both
from the U.S. government and from other diplomatic missions,
primarily the U.K., Canada, Australia, Germany, and New Zealand,
Indian law enforcement is slowly beginning to address smuggling and
trafficking issues in India. Recently, ARSO/I Mumbai met with the
Joint Commissioner of Police to discuss alien smuggling schemes.
The meeting resulted in the creation of a Special Cell for Human
Trafficking and Smuggling within the Mumbai Crime Branch. The
result is that cases referred from the US Consulate will now be
worked by trained investigators as opposed to local constables who
do not have the training or experience to deal with complex document
fraud cases.

--------------

K. Indian Passport, Identity Documents, and Civil Registry
--------------

CHENNAI 00000306 009 OF 017




35. Indian Passport fraud is a significant and continuously
worrisome fraud challenge. For all of the security features and
improvements in quality control of current Indian passports, quality
and issuance control are lax and penalties are so inadequate that
virtually anyone can obtain a genuinely issued, but fraudulent
passport with near impunity.


36. The design of the Indian passport incorporates many good
security features that would normally lead to a more favorable
rating of this document's vulnerability. The problem lies in
production inconsistency and vulnerable source documents. Quality
control is lax at production locations. Thus, genuine passports
sometimes are partially or completely missing security features.
Genuine passports issued on the same day at the same place can look
entirely different - a different batch but the numbers are
sequentially close.


37. The only documentation required for a passport is proof of
birth and proof of residency. Easily reproduced school records can
suffice for the former, while a bank statement or utility bill can
be used to "prove" the latter. Although police are supposed to
verify the information on each application by visiting the
applicant's neighborhood and interviewing neighbors, such checks are
often cursory at best. In most cases, police officials will only
check warrant records and then hand over a clean record to passport
authorities. Notwithstanding these problems, the fact the
application process requires a police check is positive.


38. Ironically, another positive is the cumbersome Indian
bureaucracy. The application process for a passport can be
extremely time consuming and laborious. Anyone with an urgent
desire for a fraudulent Indian passport may thus pursue an
alternative to acquiring a legitimate passport with fake source
documents. Finally, Indian passports are issued through regional
offices. One benefit of this is that individuals applying outside of
their 'normal' region would attract additional attention and
scrutiny.


39. Fraudulent civil documentation is common in India, both in
terms of documents that have been fabricated outright, and documents
issued improperly. Posts see a myriad of fraudulent documents,
including fake civil registry documents, counterfeit entry/exit
stamps and third-country visas, employment letters, sponsorship and
financial documents, bogus degrees and entrance examination scores,
and altered marriage and site photographs. Visa consultants sell
such documents to applicants who seek their advice about how to
qualify for visas. Peddlers of fraudulent documents abound and
operate quite openly in major Indian cities and even some of the
smaller towns. Government officials are not above fraudulent
issuances either. Virtually all birth certificates, death
certificates, and marriage registration documents can be purchased
from corrupt local government officials or brokers.

--------------

L. Cooperation with Host Government Authorities
--------------

CHENNAI 00000306 010 OF 017




40. All posts have increased efforts to work more closely with
Indian authorities in a number of areas of common interest, such as
making Indian documents more secure, establishing fraud prevention
strategies, verification of civil registry information, and the
apprehension of criminals. Airport police and immigration
authorities in Mumbai have been aggressive in detaining individuals
who DHS deported for fraudulent documents. Law enforcement in New
Delhi has been actively involved in arresting visa vendors but has
not taken a general interest in arresting persons denied boarding at
the airport for presenting fraudulent documents, in part due to the
absence of a U.S. presence at the airport.

41. In Mumbai, the consulate looks forward to further cooperation
with the newly established Anti Human Trafficking and Smuggling Cell
(AHTSC) of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch. This new unit has
already uncovered a racket where women posed as the wives of Air
India employees using photo-substituted passports. To date, nine
arrests have been reported in connection with this case.

42. In Chennai, law enforcement officials investigate cases
involving Chennai applicants but are hesitant to do so with
applicants from other states. The opening of Consulate General
Hyderabad has greatly improved interaction with local government
officials. The Chairman of the State Board of Education in Andhra
Pradesh has been instrumental in developing and maintaining the
integrity of OLIVE, the Online Verification system for high priority
educational degrees in the state. A similar program, MARTINI, has
been set up in the state of Karnataka.

--------------

M. Areas of Particular Concern
--------------


43. Mission India appreciates the considerable support it has
received from the Department in combating visa fraud. All Mission
FPUs are now better equipped, and most will soon have appropriate
offices from which to operate. The Chennai and Kolkata FPUs have
completed their physical expansion, while phase one of the New Delhi
reconstruction project was completed in March. All of consular
section Mumbai eagerly awaits the completion of a new consulate
compound, currently scheduled for FY2010. Consulate General
Hyderabad officially began visa processing in March.

44. The possibility of submitting large validation studies for
entry/exit checks with the USVISIT program has significantly
enhanced Mission India validation studies. During the reporting
period, Mission India conducted validation studies for referrals
(ref T),non-English applicants (refs U and V),and C1/D applicants
(refs W and X).
--------------

N. STAFFING AND TRAINING
--------------


45. Mission India lists below for each post the names, position
titles and consular-specific training each FPU member has received.
Each post has a full-time FPM, except for Kolkata where the FPM is a
part-time portfolio, and an A/RSO-I. The FPM in Chennai is also the
Country Coordinator. The FPM position in Mumbai has been ceded to
Entry Level until at least 2011. Each post has its own in-house

CHENNAI 00000306 011 OF 017


training for new FPU staff. All officers have taken basic consular
training.

--------------
Chennai
--------------

John A. Ballard
Country Coordinator for Fraud Prevention Programs/Fraud Prevention
Manager
PC-126 Advanced Consular Name Checking, Washington, 8/03
PC-543 Analytic Interviewing, Washington, 6/04
PC-108 Consular Leadership Development Conference, Cyprus, 12/04
PC-541 Fraud Prevention for Consular Managers, FSI, 8/05
Eurasia Fraud Conference, Istanbul, 3/06
PC-532 Advanced Consular Course, Washington, 6/07
H and L Fraud Conference, New Delhi, 10/07
The Future of H and L Processing, KCC, 4/08
Worldwide H and L Fraud Conference, Chennai, 5/08
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Salman Khalil
Deputy Fraud Prevention Manager
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Anthony K. Ramirez
Assistant Regional Security Officer/Investigations
DTB50100 - DS Management Operations Course 11/2000
I2 - Investigative Database Utilization and Management 03/01
DTB10100 - Basic Special Agent Course 05/02
PC 538 - Non-Immigrant Visa Training 03/04
DS Asset Forfeiture and Financial Investigation Training, 08/04
DHS - Document Fraud Detection and Recognition 08/04
OT 101 - DS/RSO Course 05/05
Basic Consular Course, FSI, 06/09-07/09
H and L Fraud Conference, New Delhi, 10/07
PC-126A Advanced Consular Namechecking Techniques Overview, Chennai,
3/08
Worldwide H and L Fraud Conference, Chennai, 5/08
Worldwide A/RSO-I Conference, Budapest, 11/08
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Priya Francis
Security Investigator (FSN/I)
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations at post 2002 & 2004
PC-542, Fraud Prevention Training, Washington, 3/2005
PC-126A Advanced Consular Namechecking Techniques Overview, Chennai,
3/08
OT-501, FSN-I Basic Training Course, DSTC, VA, 12/08
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Ann D'Silva
Consular Investigations Specialist
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations at post 02/99
FSN antifraud course (FSNAC),Bangkok, 11/1999
PA-248 Supervisory Skills Workshop, Dhaka, 07/2003
PC-542, Fraud Prevention Training for FSN'S, Washington, 11/2003

CHENNAI 00000306 012 OF 017


H1B Fraud Conference in Boston, 05/06
H and L Fraud Conference, New Delhi, 10/07
PC-126A Advanced Consular Namechecking Techniques Overview, Chennai,
3/08
PC-106 Regional Workshop for Consular FSNs, Washington, 3/08
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Anandan Ramanan
Consular Investigations Assistant
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations at post 02/99
Supervisory Skills Workshop, New Delhi 04/2000
PC-542, Fraud Prevention Training, Washington, 04/2002
PC-126A Advanced Consular Namechecking Techniques Overview, Chennai,
3/08
Management Skills Workshop for LE Supervisors, Chennai 09/2008

Dipti Peteti
Consular Investigations Assistant
PC-542, Fraud Prevention Training, Washington, 11/07
PC-126A Advanced Consular Namechecking Techniques Overview, Chennai,
3/08
PC-102, Immigration Law and Visa Operations, Chennai, 07/08
Customer Service training, Chennai, September 18-19,2008

Rajalakshmi Vasanthakumar
Consular Investigations Assistant
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations at post 05/02
PC-126A Advanced Consular Namechecking Techniques Overview, Chennai,
3/08
PC-542, Fraud Prevention Training, Washington, 9/08

Preethi Nelson
Consular Investigations Assistant
PC-123 Workshop for Senior Immigrant Visa LES,Washington D.C.
04/2008
PC-103 Nationality Law/Consular Procedures, Chennai, 07/2008
PC-123 Workshop for Senior Immigrant Visa LES,Washington D.C.
09/2004
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations, Chennai, 09/2004
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations, Chennai, 05/2002

Srinivas Vadagepalli
Consular Investigations Clerk
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations at post 10/07
PC-126A Advanced Consular Name checking Techniques Overview,
Chennai,
PC128 - Detecting Impostors 06/2008
PC544 - Detecting Fraudulent Documents 07/2008
PC103 - Nationality Law/Consular Procedures 07/2008
Customer Service Training by Regional Employee Development Center
09/08
PK196 - E2 Solutions: Travel Arranger 01/2009
PC545 - Examining U.S. Passports 06/2009

--------------
Kolkata
--------------

CHENNAI 00000306 013 OF 017



Alan Smith
Fraud Prevention Manager
PC-541 Fraud Prevention for Consular Managers, FSI, 4/09

Anne Brunne
FLETC CITP, 11/1998
DS BSAC, 02/1999
PC-530, 6/2008
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Partha Banerji
Consular Assistant (also handles small IV workload)
NEA/SA Consular FSN Workshop (PC-106),FSI Washington, 02/2000
FSN Fraud Prevention Workshop, Hotel Park-Hyatt, Washington, 04/2002

FSN Fraud Prevention Workshop (PC-542) FSI Washington, 3/2005
H and L Fraud Conference, New Delhi, 10/07
FSN Fraud Prevention Workshop (PC-542) FSI Washington, 11/2008
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

James P Rozario
H and L Consular Assistant
FSN Fraud Prevention Workshop (PC-542) FSI Washington, 03/09

--------------
Mumbai
--------------

Margaret MacLeod
Fraud Prevention Manager
PC-128 Detecting Imposters
PC-406 The Consular Officer's Role in Combating Trafficking in
Persons
PC-541 Fraud Prevention for Consular Managers, 04/2008
PC-544 Detecting Fraudulent documents
PC- 545 Examining U.S. Passports - v1.0
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Kanishka Gangopadhyay
Deputy Fraud Prevention Manager
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Viktor Karabin
Assistant Regional Security Officer - InvestigationsFederal Law
Enforcement Training Center, Criminal Investigator Training Program
(CITP),10/02-1/03
Diplomatic Security Basic Special Agent Course (BSAC),09/02-05/03
Basic Consular Course, FSI, 06/09-07/09
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Mehjabeen Chougle
Security Investigator (FSNI)
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations
PC-128 Detecting Imposters Basic FSNI Course at Dunn Loring,
Virginia 11/05
PC-542 FSN Fraud Prevention Course, Washington 11/2005

CHENNAI 00000306 014 OF 017


H and L Fraud Conference, New Delhi 10/07
H/L onsite training, Chennai, 08/09
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Shiraz Mehta
LES Supervisor
PC-542, Fraud Prevention Training, Washington, 11/2003
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations
PC-128 Detecting Imposters
PC-544 Detecting Fraudulent documents
Business writing- The Fundamentals
Supervisory training held in Chennai-Sep 2008
H/L onsite training, Chennai, 08/09
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Harji Saparia
Consular Investigations Assistant
PC-542, Fraud Prevention Training, Washington, 11/2005
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations at post
PC-106 General NIV training
PC-544 Detecting Fraudulent documents
H and L Fraud Conference, New Delhi, 10/07
H/L onsite training, Chennai, 08/09

Suma Jogi
Consular Investigations Assistant
PC-542, Fraud Prevention Training, Washington, 11/2007
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations at post
H/L onsite training, Chennai, 08/09

Karishma Kika
H and L Consular Investigations Assistant
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations at post
H and L On-site training, Chennai, 10/07
PC-128- Detecting Imposters
PC-406 The Consular Officer's Role in Combating Trafficking in
Persons

Deepa Chandran
Consular Investigation Assistant
PC-102 Immigration laws and Regulations
PC-128 Detecting imposters

Issaki Venkat
Consular Investigations Clerk
H and L On-site Training, Chennai, 10/07

--------------
New Delhi
--------------

Geoffrey Martineau
Fraud Prevention Manager
PC541 Fraud Prevention for Consular Managers, 07/01
Advanced Consular Namecheck, 08/03
Automation for Consular Managers, 08/03
PC541 Fraud Prevention for Consular Managers, (scheduled for 10/09)

CHENNAI 00000306 015 OF 017


Mission-Wide Fraud Conference, 09/09

Sandeep Paul
Vice Consul (FPU Rotation)
PC 530 Basic Consular Course (ConGen) 04/2005
PC 541 Fraud Prevention for Consular Managers 04/2006
PC 127 CA Review for Consular Officers 05/2008
Mission-Wide Fraud Conference, 09/09

Jeniffer Fasciglione
Consular Associate
Basic Con/Gen- FSI 2000
Customer Service Training - Bern, Switzerland 2001/2002
PC-126A Advanced Consular Namechecking Techniques Overview, New
Delhi, 3/08
DAFWG Document Fraud Workshop - New Delhi 12/08
PC128- Detecting Imposters 9/09
PC544 - Detecting Fraudulent Documents 9/09

Lalmuongpui (Mai) Landymore
Consular Assistant
PC102 - Immigration Law and Visa Operations, Guangzhou
PC 441 - Passport Data Security Awareness, Delhi

Eric A. Nordstrom
Deputy Regional Security Officer - Investigations
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Criminal Investigation
Training Program (CITP),08/1998;
Diplomatic Security Basic Special Agent Course (BSAC),09/1998
DT 250, DS Criminal Supervisors Course, (24 hrs),10/2004
Diplomatic Security Asset Forfeiture and Financial Investigation
Training Course (24hrs) - 06/2005
USDOJ / OCDETF Financial Investigations Seminar (30 hours) 10/2006
PC-541 Fraud Prevention for Consular Managers, FSI, 08/2007
H and L Fraud Conference, New Delhi, 10/2007
Worldwide H and L Fraud Conference, Chennai, 5/08
Worldwide A/RSO-I Conference, Budapest, 11/08
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Jyoti Sapra
FPU Visa Assistant
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations at post
Fraud Prevention Workshop in Washington.
PC-126A Advanced Consular Namechecking Techniques Overview, New
Delhi, 3/08
PA-248 FSN Supervisory Skills Workshop
PC-103 - Nationality Law/Consular Procedures at post
PC-544 Detecting Fraudulent Documents
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Rajender Marwaha
FPU Visa Assistant
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations at post
PC-103 Nationality Law/Consular Procedures at post, 2007
Fraud Prevention Training: At post, on-the-job training.
PC-126A Advanced Consular Namechecking Techniques Overview, New
Delhi, 3/08

CHENNAI 00000306 016 OF 017


PC-542 LES Fraud Prevention Assistants Course, 11/08

Sanjeev Tyagi
Security Investigator (FSN/I)
Basic FSNI Course at Dunn Loring, Virginia 10/04
H and L Fraud Conference, New Delhi 10/07
PC-126A Advanced Consular Namechecking Techniques Overview, New
Delhi, 3/08
FSN Fraud Prevention Workshop (PC-542) FSI Washington, 03/09
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Ritika Sawhney
FPU Investigations Assistant
PC-103 - Nationality Law/Consular Procedures at post
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations at post

Megha Singh
FPU Investigations Assistant
PC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations at post
PC-103 Nationality Law/Consular Procedures at post, 2007
Fraud Prevention Training: At post, on-the-job training

Shalini Khanduja
FPU Investigations Assistant
Newly hired, in training

Sanjeev Sharma
FPU Investigations Assistant
Newly hired, in trainingPC-102 Immigration Law and Visa Operations
at post
PC-103 Nationality Law/Consular Procedures at post

--------------
Hyderabad
--------------

Jason B. Rieff
Fraud Prevention Manager
PC-541 Fraud Prevention for Consular Managers, Washington, 7/08
PC-540 Consular Review and Automation, Washington, 8/08
PC-127 CA Review for Consular Officers, Washington, 8/08
PC-137 Automation for NIV, Washington, 8/08
PC-116 Automated Systems for Consular Managers, Washington, 8/08
PC-139 Automation for ACS Unit, Washington 8/08
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Greg Rankin
Vice Consul/Backup Fraud Prevention Manager

Nathan M. Kim
Assistant Regional Security Officer/Investigations
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center - Criminal Investigations
Training Program, 6/2003
Diplomatic Security - Basic Special Agent Course, 10/2003
Asset Forfeiture Training, 2/2005
PC-530 Basic Consular Course, 10/2008
International Conference on Asian Organized Crime and Terrorism,

CHENNAI 00000306 017 OF 017


3/2009
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Chadive W. Reddy
Consular Investigations Specialist
Fraud Prevention training at FPU, U.S. Con Gen, Chennai, 11/2008
PC-102 Immigration Law & Visa Operations, 12/2008
PC-103 Nationality Law/Consular Procedures, 12/2008
PC-104 Overseas Citizen Services, 12/2008
PC-128 Detecting Impostors, 12/2008
PC-544 Detecting Fraudulent Documents, 01/2009
PC-545 Examining U.S. Passports, 01/2009
PC-542 Fraud Prevention Workshop for FSN's, Washington, 03/2009
Mission India FPU Conference, New Delhi, 9/09

Chetan K. Bandari
Consular Investigations Assistant
Fraud Prevention training at FPU, U.S. Con Gen, Chennai, 11/2008
PC-102 Immigration Law & Visa Operations, 12/2008
PC-103 Nationality Law/Consular Procedures, 12/2008
PC-104 Overseas Citizen Services, 01/2009
PC-128 Detecting Impostors, 12/2008
PC-544 Detecting Fraudulent Documents, 01/2009
PC-545 Examining U.S. Passports, 01/2009

SIMKIN