Goa shipping firm director held at Mumbai airport in trafficking racket

Mumbai: The Mumbai crime branch on Sunday arrested a director of a Goa-based shipping company who was allegedly involved in a human trafficking racket while trying to fly to Bangkok.

The director, Ajay Shirodkar, was arrested by immigration officials based on a lookout notice.

Shirodkar was intercepted at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, and seven mobile phones, several SIM cards, forged ship-joining letters, e-migration documents, and other suspicious files were recovered from him, said police.His passport had been flagged in a lookout notice by FRRO Chennai for suspected involvement in facilitating illegal migration via Thailand and Mexico.

Immigration handed over the accused to Mumbai crime branch.Shirodkar allegedly created fake seafarer documents through his company, Shirodkar Ocean Employer Pvt Ltd.He charged aspiring migrants Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh each by promising jobs on ships abroad. Instead, he allegedly sent them illegally to the UK and the US with the help of associates based in Punjab, Haryana, Mexico, and the US. Police said he worked closely with hawala operators to route payments and maintained links with several immigration staff.

During interrogation, Shirodkar reportedly admitted to cheating six persons, including Goa resident Kartik Naik, by promising him a job on a US ship but failed to deliver.Files recovered from his laptop allegedly contained forged certificates prepared for multiple clients. Police said Shirodkar was produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody.Sources said Goa police are likely to take his custody. Shirodkar faces multiple similar human trafficking cases — two in Goa, one in Karnataka, and one in Uttar Pradesh.Investigators say dozens of Indians might have been illegally sent abroad under the guise of seafarer recruitment, with many later deported by foreign authorities.