Britain is moving its anti–visa fraud campaign deeper into India, expanding a pilot programme from Punjab to Tamil Nadu in a bid to curb fake visa rackets and stop illegal migration before it begins. The initiative, unveiled in Chennai during Indo-Pacific Minister Seema Malhotra’s visit this week, marks a stepped-up phase of UK-India cooperation on border security and migrant protection. Advertisement

The campaign includes targeted outreach in high-risk districts and a Tamil-language WhatsApp chatbot designed to help Indian travellers verify documents, identify scams and avoid fraudulent agents. Officials say the model builds on promising early results from the Punjab pilot, which was launched earlier this year.

The expansion comes as Britain tightens its migration and asylum systems. H

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