IELTS fraud cases on the rise; another youth duped of Rs 6 Lakh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 1

Incidents of IELTS fraud are on the rise in the region as the craze for studying abroad is very much among youngsters of the Malwa region.

The Bathinda police have registered a case against the owner of a city-based IELTS centre for duping a youth of Rs 6.70 lakh on the pretext of providing him seven bands in the IELTS exam.

In a complaint lodged with the police by complainant Navdeep Singh of Nandgarh village, he stated that accused Manpreet Kaur and her husband Jaswinder Singh of Khemuana village and Praveen Kumar of Bhagta Bhaika duped him of Rs 6.70 lakh on the pretext of providing him 7 bands in IELTS at their centres located on the Ajit road. Moreover, they also committed a fraud against him as they had assured him that they would enroll him in Government College in Canada, but later got him admission in a private college there.

The police have registered a case under Sections 120 and 34 of the IPC, Section 24 of the Immigration Act and Section 13 of the Punjab Prevention Human Smuggling Act 2012 at the Civil Lines police station. However, no arrests have been made so far.

In September, the Bathinda police had booked two persons, including a woman, for allegedly duping a Barnala resident of Rs 8 lakh on the pretext of giving him good score in the IELTS exam.

It is pertinent to mention that Bathinda has become a hub of IELTS and immigration centres as a lot many such centres have set up their shops here in the past five years.

The DC office has issued 89 licences to run IELTS (International English Language Testing System) centres in the city, but illegal training centres are flourishing in the absence of any regulatory authority. Some of the institutes do not have even qualified staff to train students.

However, it is no cakewalk to realise the dream of studying abroad as it comes with a heavy price. Without proper knowledge and verifying about colleges, they are ready to pay a big amount of money to agents for sending them abroad with 5-6 IELTS bands.

Immigration expert claims those desirous of going abroad must show patience and apply through proper channels. Those willing to take shortcuts are sure to be lured and tricked by unscrupulous agents. This leads to human-trafficking. Parents and youngsters need to think well before adopting ‘illegal’ immigration means.