An Indian, already in Japanese custody for violating immigration rules, is facing fresh charges for allegedly smuggling more than 100 of his compatriots into this country to work in factories.
The 43-year-old man, married to a Japanese, allegedly made use of a rule allowing brief sightseeing visits for transit passengers at airports to sneak in Indians into Japan, police were quoted as saying by Kyodo news agency.
The man, who was not identified, is already in custody since September 27 for violating Japan's Immigration Control Law by helping 30 Indians and other nationals to overstay visas.
A month later, he was served another arrest warrant for helping illegal immigrants find jobs, the report said.
He will be served a fresh arrest warrant shortly by Tochigi Prefectural police for allegedly smuggling more than 100 Indians into Japan to work in factories, it said.
According to officials, the man charged fees ranging from one to two million yen per person and had accumulated a fortune of around 100 million Yen.
The fact that he is married to a Japanese, was granted a special residence permission and possessed a visa allowing him to freely travel between India and Japan probably made his operation easier, the report said, claiming that he used to instruct his clients to pose as tourists or businessmen and travel as per a planned itinerary via Thailand and China.
Officials claimed that the man's clients used to show immigration officials in Japan return air tickets for flights back to India before obtaining temporary sightseeing permits.
However, instead of returning as part of their schedule, they obtained work at factories in the Tochigi and Ibaraki areas of Japan, Kyodo reported.
