Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee of National Security (UKMK) has said that a group allegedly involved in organizing illegal travel to European countries through Kyrgyzstan by using fake Schengen visas has been uncovered.
“More than 40 foreign nationals who became victims of the activities of the organizers of the illegal migration via Kyrgyzstan have been identified,” the UKMK stressed, without giving any other details. It remains unclear if the alleged perpetrators were apprehended, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
A report from Radio Free Europe shows that a special service reported that it is currently identifying persons involved in the preparation of fake documents. UKMK did not provide further information about the arrested as well as non-detained suspects in the criminal case.
Deptuty of the Jogorku Kenesh Gulya Kozhokulova noted that the passport of Kyrgyzstan is being sold on the avito.ru advertising site in Russia and urged the State Committee for National Security to take concrete measures in this regard.
The report notes that on the avito.ru advertising website, there are several advertisements for holding Kyrgyz citizenship from 120,000 rubles to 270,000 rubles. It also noted that orders to hold Kyrgyz citizenship are not needed to renounce Russian citizenship and it is not needed to know the Kyrgyz language.
In addition, it was also emphasized that it will be possible to open bank accounts in other countries in order to hold visas to the United States as well as other European countries, with Kyrgyz citizenship.
Since Kyrgyzstan is not part of the Schengen Zone, its nationals are required to apply for a Schengen visa to travel to the borderless area of Schengen.
In order to apply for a Schengen visa, citizens of Kyrgyzstan are required to prepare the following documents: application form, Kyrgyz passport, identity photographs, civil status certificate, proof of accommodation, round-trip flight itinerary as well as travel health insurance, among others.
Cases, where persons use false documents in order to apply for a Schengen visa, are not few.
Previously, a group of seven applicants who were holding forged documents in order to apply for visas was caught by two security personnel members at VFS Global, the Visa Application Center (VAC), in India’s Delhi.
According to TravelDailyMedia reports, such documents were provided to the applicants by two Delhi-based agents, in exchange for INR 30,000 to 55,000.