Punjabi pop singer arrested in visa racket case

A well-known Punjabi pop singer, Sukhwinder Mann, has been arrested in a case of fake visa by Delhi Police.

A well-known Punjabi pop singer, Sukhwinder Mann, has been arrested in a case of fake visa by Delhi Police.

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More famously known as Sukha Dilliwalla, Mann had recently recorded a song for an upcoming big budget Hindi movie. His arrest came after a US embassy official lodged a complaint against him.

According to a senior police officer, Mann had helped a woman named Anita obtain a US visa on fake documents in 2008.

"The woman again approached the US embassy for a visa with her two children. When the embassy officials scanned her records, they found that she had formerly obtained a visa showing herself as Mann's wife," the officer said.

"US embassy officials lodged a complaint with the police after they found that this time Anita had showed herself as the wife of a Pawan Kumar," the officer added.

Originally from Punjab, Mann used to shuttle between Delhi and Mumbai for work and had carved out a successful career for himself in the Punjabi music industry.

"Earlier, too, he had been convicted in similar cases in Punjab. He's a proclaimed offender," the officer said.

In 2003, Punjab police arrested Mann on charges of accepting payment to sneak two brothers into the US disguised as back-up musicians.

"He used to lure people from villages in Punjab, promising them that he would get them visas to the US and other western countries. He has been sent to judicial custody," the police officer added.