Visa Fraud: Ahmedabad Businessman duped of Rs. 41 lakhs by fake consulate gang
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2024-10-11 06:58 GMT
Hyderabad: A gang set up a fake American consulate in a star hotel on the outskirts of the city and duped a businessman from Gujarat collecting Rs. 41.5 lakhs under the guise of visa interviews. The Ahmedabad police have registered a case based on the victim's complaint. Some members of this gang are suspected to be from Hyderabad. A special team from Ahmedabad to travel to Hyderabad to gather key evidence in the case.
The victim, a garment merchant in Ahmedabad was introduced to a travel agent named Meenchand Patel through friends. Meenchand claimed he could process visas for the merchant and 18 of his friends and family, who were planning a vacation to the United States. He charged Rs. 1.5 lakh as an application fee and collected passport copies from all 19 individuals.
Meenchand falsely claimed that visa slots were available only at the Hyderabad consulate. He arranged for a special bus to transport everyone there for their interviews. Prior to their arrival, he sent some accomplices to Hyderabad to book a banquet hall in a star hotel, transforming it into a makeshift US consulate. He told the businessman that it was difficult for people from Gujarat to get visas but he had secured approval for interviews to be conducted at the hotel due to security concerns at the actual consulate.
About three months ago, Meenchand brought the group to Hyderabad and checked them into another hotel before taking them to the banquet hall. His accomplices posed as consular officials and conducted fake interviews. After this, he collected an additional Rs. 40 lakhs as visa fees assuring them that their applications would be processed. However, after years of waiting with no visas issued, the suspicious businessman filed a complaint with the local police.