Ahmedabad: A hardware trader allegedly lost Rs 20.5 lakh after a family acquaintance promised to arrange a Canadian work visa but failed to deliver it or return the money. The trader, in his complaint filed with Sola police on Monday, stated that he met the accused through a common family connection at a religious event in Ahmedabad in Nov 2022.According to the complaint, the accused claimed to handle overseas visas. When the trader expressed his desire to move to Canada for employment, the accused offered to arrange a work visa permit, initially quoting Rs 5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh per person.The trader alleged he handed over his original passport and documents and later decided to seek visas for his wife and two daughters as well.The complainant alleged that between Nov 2022 and Aug 2025, the trader paid Rs 20.3 lakh through bank transfers besides Rs 14,800 in cash as a processing fee. The accused assured that the work permits would be done, but after a considerable wait, he allegedly said only the trader’s permit could be arranged, which too did not materialise, the complaint states.While the accused returned the other passports, the complainant’s passport and other documents were not returned and the money too was not refunded. The accused allegedly left for Moscow in Dec 2025.The complainant has submitted bank statements, transaction records and WhatsApp chats to police.
