Commonwealth Games 2018: Indian man arrested for trying to smuggle 8 people into Australia

What's the story

Indians are already making a name for themselves in Australia, a week before the 2018 Commonwealth Games are scheduled to start. An Indian man was charged with people smuggling and detained at the Brisbane Airport.

According to reports, the man was trying to smuggle eight other travellers posing as a media contingent to cover the CWG.

In case you didn't know...

The maximum penalty for people smuggling and having false documents with regard to non-citizens is 20 years' jail. The man in question has been charged with both.

The heart of the matter

A man along with eight companions, all from India, was detained at the Brisbane Airport in Australia on Wednesday. The group was trying to get into Australia by pretending to be a media crew covering the upcoming Commonwealth Games. They arrived in the country via Thailand and were flagged as "non-genuine travellers".

The Australian Border Force (ABF) has taken the man into custody. He has also been charged with one count of people smuggling and one count of carrying false documents and information with regards to the non-citizens. His companions have remained in immigration detention.

The ABF is expected to take the 46-year-old Indian national to court and alleged the lack of appropriate documents and credentials, allowing for the group's travel. The man is expected in court on Thursday and will remain in custody till then.

What's next?

The hearing is set to continue as the man will re-appear in front of the Brisbane Magistrate Court on April 6th. If found guilty, he could be facing a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

Author's take

Commonwealth Games are one of the biggest international sporting events and India always hopes to have a positive effect on such a stage. However, such episodes bring to the forefront a different side and bring about more shame than pride on the country and its citizens.