Panchkula: The Anti-Immigration Fraud Unit busted a gang duping people on the pretext of securing overseas jobs with the arrest of four individuals — including a husband-wife duo — in a Rs 12-lakh Australia work visa scam. Panchkula DCP Srishti Gupta said a youth complained that he had been cheated by the accused, who promised to arrange a work visa for Australia. She said they took money from him but allegedly handed over a fake visa.An FIR was registered on Feb 27 at Sector 5 police station. The complainant, a resident of Ludhiana, told the police that he approached the accused through an immigration office in Ambala while seeking opportunities to work abroad. The accused — Harbhajan Singh, Harpreet alias Bumpy, Chirag Narula, and Neha — allegedly assured him that they could secure the visa for Rs 12 lakh. They collected his passport and documents and later informed him that his visa had been approved. On Nov 8, 2025, they called him to a Panchkula restaurant, took Rs 12 lakh cash, and handed him a fake visa, even showing it as verified online to make it appear genuine. Believing them, the victim spent an additional Rs 5 lakh on travel arrangements, including tickets and hotel bookings, before realising he had been defrauded.Inspector Yogvendra Singh of the Anti-Immigration Fraud Unit said the investigation yielded crucial evidence such as WhatsApp chats, bank statements, and forged visa documents. Based on technical inputs, the first accused was arrested from Ludhiana on March 17. The remaining three were later arrested from Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh.Police said the gang had been operating a firm since 2022 and had multiple cases registered against them, including six in Ambala and Panchkula, with additional complaints from Yamunanagar. Two more accused are still absconding. ASI Deepak said police recovered Rs 3.3 lakh cash, five mobile phones, and important documents. After completion of police remand, all four arrested accused have been sent to judicial custody.MSID:: 129774292 413 |
