2 enter marriage pact to fly to Australia, booked
Amit Sharma
Chandigarh, June 29
The UT police have registered a cheating case involving a couple who entered into a contract marriage in order to fly to Australia. According to the complaint, immigration agents in the region are misusing Australian spouse visa to send people abroad.
The police received a complaint from RA Meena, Under Secretary to the Government of India, stating that Rajni (36) and Balkar Singh Dhillon (34) sought immigration clearance for Australia via Bangkok at the Delhi airport. During questioning, Rajni revealed that Balkar was her husband travelling on spouse visa. Balkar hails from Suman in Punjab. The couple further disclosed that their visa itinerary and all other formalities were arranged by an agent named Jai Bhardwaj, who is based in Chandigarh. The agent helped the couple get a court marriage certificate and charged them Rs 16.50 lakh for obtaining spouse visa. According to the complaint, the agent assured the couple that their marriage would be legally valid on paper, enabling them to get spouse visa to settle in Australia and they could file a divorce after settling there.
The complaint also mentions that agents from Punjab and Haryana are using this “marriage of convenience” tactic. They arrange marriage certificates and spouse visa for those who are keen on migrating abroad.
The police said a case had been registered under Sections 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, and 120-B of the IPC at the Sector 3 police station. The police have got the passport numbers of the couple and details about the agent.
