Indian Navy officer gets bail in Korea human trafficking case
Mumbai, Dec 17: A court here has granted bail to Indian Navy officer Braham Sharma, arrested for alleged involvement in trafficking people to South Korea on forged documents, noting that he has been under detention since June 2024 and the trial is yet to commence.
Police had claimed that Lieutenant Commander Sharma was the mastermind of a gang that allegedly sent 8 to 10 people to the East Asian country using bogus papers and charged Rs 10 lakh per case.
Sharma's bail was allowed by additional sessions judge V M Pathade on December 13. A detailed order was available on Tuesday.
Sharma, in his bail application, had claimed he was innocent and was falsely implicated in the crime.
The accused stated that he was not a beneficiary of the crime money.
The investigation culminated in filing a charge-sheet and hence his further detention is unwarranted, Sharma's plea said and pointed out that a co-accused has been granted bail.
The prosecution opposed the bail contending that Sharma played a major role in committing the crime, unbecoming of a Naval officer.
Police have alleged that Sharma's associate and co-accused Vipin Dagar, also a Navy officer, was found in possession of 14 Indian passports in the name of different persons, a stamp machine (purchased from Vishakhapatnam to make fake stamps), 108 rubber stamps of distinct establishments, and a rubber sheet used for creating forged and fabricated documents to be used as genuine for obtaining passport/visa.
Sharma had collected such documents through another co-accused and sent them to Dagar.
He used to receive money in bank accounts operated by his mother and grandmother, the police said.
The prosecution argued that sufficient material was collected by the investigating agency, disclosing Sharma's active participation in the entire activities leading to the commission of the offences.
The court stated that the charge sheet in the case was filed by police.
Sharma has been under detention since June 29, 2024, and the other co-accused persons were granted bail, the court stated.
"The trial is yet to commence, there is no likelihood of the trial being concluded in the near future, " the court observed while allowing bail for Sharma.
Police had said earlier that Vipin Dagar prepared forged documents and forwarded them to the Korean consulate. He was taking instructions from the mastermind Braham Sharma, who was arrested from Lonavala.
The MRA police station in Mumbai had registered a case against five persons for cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code, and the Passport Act.
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Rahul Gandhi joins Haryana Congress leader's 'Sadbhav Yatra' in Gurugram
Gurugram (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday joined the 'Sadbhav Yatra' of Haryana Congress leader Brijendra Singh here.
Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, reached Gurugram in the evening and joined the yatra. He also walked some distance with Brijendra, state Congress chief Rao Narender Singh and other leaders.
Huge crowds had turned up for the occasion.
Later, Gandhi proceeded to the venue where he addressed a public gathering.
Leader of Opposition in Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda and other Congress leaders, including Randeep Singh Surjewala, B K Hariprasad, state Congress chief Rao Narender Singh, were also present.
Brijendra Singh had on Thursday said it is a matter of joy for them that Gandhi was joining the 'Sadbhav Yatra' in Gurugram-Badshahpur, "thereby strengthening the Indian National Congress' campaign for brotherhood and harmony".
The 'Sadbhav Yatra' began from Danoda village at Narwana in Jind on October 5, 2025, and has covered 85 of the 90 assembly segments in the state.
The foot march was started by Brijendra Singh, son of Congress veteran Birender Singh, to highlight several national and regional issues.
State Congress chief Rao Narender Singh had asked all party leaders to take part in Friday's event.
Days before his yatra began in October, Brijendra Singh, who narrowly lost the 2024 assembly polls from Jind's Uchana Kalan, accused the ruling BJP of playing "divisive politics" and said that "sadbhav" (harmony) has come under stress in the last decade.
Brijendra Singh was a sitting MP from Hisar for the BJP when he resigned ahead of the 2024 general election and switched over to the Congress. He also alleged that the saffron party creates a wedge in society to achieve its political purpose.
The 'padyatra' has so far covered 85 assembly constituencies in Haryana, traversing more than 2,700 kilometres.
Addressing the public gathering, Brijendra Singh said the yatra is inspired by Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, where he took the party's vision and values directly to the people of the country.
Singh said the yatra has highlighted issues like "Vote Chori" (vote theft), unemployment, poor law and order situation, agrarian distress, and issues related to government employees, labourers and traders.
"Sadbhav (harmony) and bhaichara (brotherhood), which the BJP is attempting to weaken, are the messages of this yatra," he said, adding that its slogan is "Congress ka haath bhaichara ka saath".
"This yatra is a natural extension of the Bharat Jodo Yatra," Brijendra Singh said.
