Kurukshetra journo held for smuggling fake media contingent to Australia | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Kurukshetra journo held for smuggling fake media contingent to Australia

Hindustan Times, Karnal | By, Karnal
Mar 31, 2018 09:43 AM IST

The eight men, aged between 20 and 37, were allegedly holding temporary activity visas but claiming to be accredited media representatives.

A journalist from Kurukshetra stares at years in jail in Australia on charges of smuggling people into the country under the garb of a “media contingent” for the Commonwealth Games that start on April 4.

The fake Indian journalists at the Brisbane airport on Wednesday.(AFB)
The fake Indian journalists at the Brisbane airport on Wednesday.(AFB)

The Australian Border Force (AFB) detained Rakesh Sharma, 46, and eight others at the Brisbane airport on Wednesday for allegedly facilitating forged documents. The eight men, aged between 20 and 37, were allegedly holding temporary activity visas but claiming to be accredited media representatives.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Quoting AFB officials, the Brisbane Times news website said Sharma appeared in a Brisbane magistrate court that remanded him in custody, and the magistrate ordered an interpreter fluent in Hindi to be organised for the next hearing, April 6.

Rakesh Sharma of Kurukshetra works with a Hindi newspaper and is posted in Chandigarh. (AFB)
Rakesh Sharma of Kurukshetra works with a Hindi newspaper and is posted in Chandigarh. (AFB)

The offence carries a minimum five-year sentence and maximum of 20 years; the charge applies to anyone accused of smuggling five or more people, reported the Australian media.

Sharma, a resident of Sector 13 in Kurukshetra, works with a Hindi newspaper and is posted in Chandigarh for the past several years. His family in Kurukshetra is not aware why he was detained in Brisbane.

“I don’t know what happened in Australia. I came to know from my brother-in-law that he is in trouble there,” Sharma’s wife Priyanka said.“He left on March 27 saying that he has to catch a flight to Australia at 11am from Delhi, and after that I could not talk to him. I also sent a WhatsApp message to him, but there was no response,” she said. “I don’t know anything about the people travelling with him.”

Priyanka said she will take up the issue with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to get more information about him and to bring him back to India. “About a month ago too, he had gone to Australia for five days. He has visas for several countries, including the US and Japan. But I don’t know what he does there,” she said.

Sharma’s mother Shakuntala Sharma is a state executive member of the ruling BJP.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Neeraj Mohan is a correspondent, covering Karnal, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Panipat and Yamunanagar districts of Haryana.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On