The police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a major international travel fraud and human trafficking syndicate operating across multiple states. A key member of the gang was arrested near the Bughipura Chowk in Moga. According to the police, the gang targeted individuals aspiring to move abroad as well as criminals looking to flee the country.The syndicate charged exorbitant amounts of money from their clients. In return, they fabricated Continuous Discharge Certificates (CDC)—crucial maritime documents—and generated fake airport gate passes to illegally bypass immigration authorities without valid visas, facilitating illicit travel to Europe and other Western countries.The police said CDC was an official and mandatory document issued by a country’s maritime authority and acted as a comprehensive professional passport, identity document and official service record for anyone working aboard a commercial vessel. The accused created fake CDCs to convince airport security and border agents that the traveller was a merchant navy crew member on official duty, rather than a standard tourist who needed a strict visitor visa.A case has been registered against all accused under Sections 318(4) (cheating), 338 (forgery of valuable security), 336(2) and 336(3) (forgery and forgery for the purpose of cheating), 340(2) (using forged documents), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS, alongside Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professionals (Regulation) Act, 2014.Investigations revealed that in 2023, the mastermind of the racket, Kulbir Singh, colluded with other travel agents and corporate insiders to illegally traffic Iqbal Singh, alias Ravi Dhaliwal, to the United Kingdom after charging him Rs 20 lakh. Iqbal Singh is currently residing illegally in the UK, from where he allegedly operates criminal activities targeting India, said Gursewak Singh, the investigation officer in the case.The police have registered a case against multiple individuals allegedly involved in the network. While kingpin Kulbir Singh, alias Babbu has been arrested, the police are raiding various locations to nab other accused. Further investigation is underway to trace the network’s links in Punjab, Mumbai, UP and the UK.