Gandhinagar woman, family duped of Rs 27L in work visa fraud

Ahmedabad: The Sector 21 police of Gandhinagar on Tuesday registered a cheating case against three individuals who allegedly duped a woman and her family of Rs 27 lakh with promise of foreign work visa.The complaint was filed by brother of the victim, who works with a private firm, against a visa consultant and two others from Gandhinagar.Two years ago, complainant's sister and her family were introduced to one of the accused who has an office in Sector 16, Gandhinagar. He claimed to provide work permits and student visas. He offered five-year work visas for the victim and her two family members for Rs 27 lakh.On Nov 21, 2023, the accused collected Rs 2 lakh in cash from the victim. Later, victim's brother transferred Rs 9.5 lakh under the pretext of securing medical course letters. The accused allegedly inserted fake sponsor application numbers in these documents. Another Rs 9 lakh was later transferred to his account.In April 2024, the victim was called for an interview at the VFS Global Services centre but was found ineligible. Investigations revealed that the medical institute mentioned in the documents does not issue course letters for women under such visa categories. While Rs 6.5 lakh was refunded, Rs 25 lakh still remained unpaid.Sector 21 police have registered a case of cheating and fraud against the visa consultant and two others. Further investigation is underway to check for involvement in similar frauds.