Fudged records, false promises: Ahmedabad visa consultant loses ₹98L to three of family

Ahmedabad: A visa consultant on Monday filed a cheating complaint alleging that a Canada-based man, his father and father-in-law defrauded him of Rs 98.2 lakh by supplying forged labour market documents that led to rejection of work permit applications of four clients.

The complainant, who runs a visa consultancy firm in Satellite, alleged that he was introduced to a man and his father, natives of Sargasan in Gandhinagar, in 2023. The duo claimed to specialise in processing Canadian work permits through Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) approvals, and assured him of a high success rate.

The complainant stated that he first entrusted them with two immigration files, which were processed successfully. The outcome helped build confidence, following which the complainant referred four more clients to them.

Between Aug 2023 and Nov 2023, the consultant allegedly paid Rs 98.2 lakh in multiple instalments in cash and through associates for the four clients. The complaint states that a portion of the money was handed over to the man’s father in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, while other payments were allegedly made to the man himself in Canada, and also to his father-in-law.

According to the FIR, the accused subsequently supplied LMIA approval letters and assured the consultant that the work permit applications would be cleared. The applications were rejected despite repeated submissions.

Suspecting foul play, the complainant said he obtained Global Case Management System and embassy records on the rejected applications, which revealed that the LMIA approvals provided by the accused were not genuine. The complainant told police that names of applicants had been altered in the LMIA records, and documents used to support the visa applications were fabricated.

The complainant further alleged that despite repeated demands, neither did the accused process valid work permits nor did they refund the money paid for the four clients.

Police have registered a case against the man, who is currently in Canada, his father and father-in-law for cheating, criminal breach of trust and forgery.