7 Indian passport holders walk in to VFS Delhi for a Schengen visa. Then all hell breaks loose

In what comes as a warning for those applying for a visa abroad, VFS Global's security personnel nabbed seven applicants at its centre in Delhi for forging documents. The seven applicants were filing for a visa to Italy and had entered VFS with forged appointment papers. 

What happened? 

The incident took place on May 24. The security personnel noticed something off about the appointment papers brought by the applicants and upon cross checking with their manifesto, they found the letters to be forged.

Investigation revealed that the logo of VFS Global was misused to make the documents. The appointment letters were allegedly forged by two Delhi-based agents - Sharma Travels and Shiv Shanker for Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000. 

[ALSO READ: How will 20% TCS affect your foreign trip from July 1?] 

Subsequently, an FIR was registered at the IGI Airport Metro police station in Delhi. 

VFS Global South Asia COO Prabuddha Sen asked applicants to be careful of grey operators and not fall prey to their schemes. 

Delays and backlogs and the sheer number of required documents have turned Schengen visa into one of the toughest visas to get for Indian passport holders. There are a number of obstacles including the current backlogs prolonging the waiting period, to even get an appointment to file a visa.

With regards to Italy, there are reportedly no appointment dates in Delhi any time soon, and the ones in Bengaluru and Mumbai are available in October. 

Using forged documents can also get the applicants on a blacklist and make it tougher to reapply the same visa or any other visa. 

[ALSO READ: UK is cracking down on student visa dependents, plus updates on switching visas]

[ALSO READ: 12 cheapest countries to visit from India]