Ahmedabad: Two men have accused four members of a family running an immigration consultancy of cheating them out of a total of Rs 72.3 lakh after promising Canada work visas. The city crime branch’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is probing the case registered with the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) on Tuesday.In the first case, a 31-year-old farmer from Gandhinagar district alleged that he had approached the consultants’ office in Thaltej in May 2024. The firm asked him to pay a registration fee before submitting his documents.According to the FIR, the accused provided him with what appeared to be an LMIA letter, arranged his biometric appointment at a visa application centre and periodically shared updates claiming that his application was progressing. In March this year, they allegedly informed him that his visa had been approved and sent him a Passport Request (PPR) letter, prompting him to make further payments. When he received his passport in June, it did not have a Canadian visa. Police said the farmer had paid Rs 32.8 lakh in cash and through bank transfers between Sep 2024 and March 2025. The family allegedly told him that the employer sponsoring his work permit had gone, and offered either a fresh placement or a refund. The visa promise was not fulfilled. Instead, the complainant received cheques, including one that was dishonoured.During the probe, police found that a resident of New Shahibaug too had been cheated in a similar manner. The man alleged that the same family had collected Rs 44.4 lakh from him between 2023 and 2025 after assuring him of a Canadian work visa. He was only refunded Rs 4.8 lakh in instalments. The four members of the family have been booked for cheating and criminal breach of trust.
