Gujarat: Vadodara woman duped of Rs 5.61 lakh in visa scam, complaint filed

Vadodara, April 27 (IANS) A woman from Vadodara’s Diwalipura area in Gujarat has filed a police complaint after allegedly being duped of Rs 5.61 lakh by a visa agent who failed to deliver on promises of securing foreign visas for her family.

The incident has been registered at the JP Road Police Station against the accused, identified as Deepak Agarwal, as per officials. According to the complaint lodged by Bhumika Raseshwar Purohit, a resident of Maa Smriti Society, the ordeal began in August 2022 when she and her husband were seeking assistance to study abroad.

They approached Landmark Consultant, an office located on Juna Padra Road, where they met Agarwal. Posing as a visa agent, he promised to arrange a student visa for Bhumika and dependent visas for her husband and daughter, charging Rs 25,000 for processing in addition to university and visa fees.

Trusting his assurances, the family made multiple payments between 2023 and 2024, totalling Rs 5.36 lakh through cash and online transfers. Agarwal had promised that the entire visa process would be completed by December 2022, but as time passed, no visas were issued. Repeated demands for a refund were met with threats and intimidation.

In August 2024, when Bhumika once again asked for her money back, Agarwal allegedly told her to “do whatever she wanted,” refusing to return the funds. Frustrated and feeling cheated, Bhumika approached the JP Road Police, who have now registered a case against Deepak Agarwal and initiated legal action.

Further investigation into the alleged fraud is underway. Visa fraud in Gujarat has escalated significantly over recent years, with a notable 113 per cent increase in reported cases between 2020–21 and 2022–23.

Data from the Gujarat government reveals that 139 complaints of visa-related cheating were filed during this period, resulting in financial losses amounting to Rs 74.15 lakh. Despite the arrest of 114 individuals, an equal number of accused remain at large, highlighting challenges in enforcement and recovery efforts.

Vadodara and Ahmedabad have emerged as hotspots for such fraudulent activities, recording 31 and 26 cases respectively. The majority of these scams involve false promises of employment or education opportunities abroad, particularly in countries like the United States and Canada.

In a significant crackdown, Gujarat police conducted raids on 17 immigration consultancy firms across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Vadodara, seizing passports, forged documents, and electronic equipment.

--IANS

janvi/dan