CHENNAI: Around 200 Indians, including many film actors and producers, have been banned for life from travelling to the United States over their part in a visa racket, the US consulate said on Thursday.

The film industry employees had allegedly taken several people pretending to be part of their crews to the US in return for payment from visa consultants.

“These people lied to us about their association with the applicants, who posed as producers scouting for shooting locations in the US,” said David Hopper, principal officer at the American Consulate in southern Chennai city.

“They’re equally as guilty as the applicants or visa consultants since they had perpetrated fraud,” Mr Hopper told reporters at his office. He said the racket first came to light last year, when officials carried out screening of suspect applicants.

Indian police on Tuesday arrested an actress and two other people for alleged involvement in the scam.—AFP