Rs 1-crore immigration scam unearthed in Chandigarh, three booked

The police have unearthed a visa scam and registered a case of immigration fraud against the proprietors of Sector 17-based M/s Shree Ram Overseas. The firm reportedly duped a number of aspirants seeking jobs abroad of Rs 1.09 crore.Police sources said prime accused Deepak Sharma (37), a resident of Sector 18 here and owner of the firm, was a repeat offender. He was previously arrested in an immigration fraud case in June, which was linked to the same firm.

Investigating officers revealed that after being sent to Burail Model Jail under Sections 318(4), 61(2) of the BNS and 24 of the Immigration Act in the June case, Sharma was granted bail. He, however, jumped bail and absconded. The authorities are in the process of issuing a lookout notice against him.

The present case was registered on a complaint filed by Arshdeep Singh (21), a resident of Mundi Kharar, alleging that he paid Rs 10.5 lakh — Rs 4.8 lakh in cash and Rs 5.7 lakh via UPI transfers — to Sharma between October 2023 and December 2024 for a work visa to Australia. Despite repeated visits, he neither received the visa nor refund, and his passport was allegedly withheld by the firm.

During the inquiry, the police found at least 11 more complaints against the same firm, involving the victims from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, with reported losses ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.

Deepak Sharma (owner), Pawan Kumar and Rajni, along with unidentified persons, have been named in the FIR registered under Sections 318(4) and 61(2) of the BNS and Section 24 of the Immigration Act.

The investigation, led by ASI Anshuman, is ongoing.

Visa consultant booked

The UT police registered another FIR at the Sector 17 station on a complaint filed by Ramesh Singh, a resident of Sector 56. The accused, identified as Kuljit Singh Rana of Campbell Visa Consultants, Sector 17-C, allegedly duped the complainant of Rs 2 lakh on the pretext of arranging work and tourist visas. Despite receiving the money, the promised visas were never provided to the complainant. The police said investigation is underway, and further action will be taken based on its findings.