2 key accused arrested in Rs 78-lakh immigration fraud case

Chandigarh Police has arrested two inter-state fraudsters involved in a major international immigration scam, which duped victims of Rs 78 lakh under the guise of foreign travel arrangements.

A team from Police Station Sector-34, headed by SI Suresh Kumar, arrested Harmeet Singh alias Titu Chand (42), a resident of Kapurthala, Punjab. His arrest led to the capture of his associate, Arjit Kumar alias Tony (58), of Rani Bagh, Delhi. The accused were found to have issued fake visas and dummy flight tickets to Greece.

The complainant, Manjeet Singh of Kaithal, Haryana, reported that in August 2022, he was contacted by Harmeet, who claimed to run a travel agency called "Guru Tour and Travel" operating in Sector 34-A, Chandigarh.

Singh promised to arrange travel to Greece for Manjeet, his brother, nephews and brother-in-law at a cost of Rs 10 lakh per person plus embassy charges. The complainants paid a total of Rs 78 lakh through various means – including bank transfers to accounts belonging to Harmeet Singh, Arjit Kumar, Anurag Malha and Tajinder Singh, Rs 20 lakh in cash and Rs 5 lakh specifically meant for the “Delhi Embassy.”

However, the promised visas and travel documents turned out to be forged. On September 19, 2022, the group was denied departure at the airport by immigration officials who identified the visas as fake. Attempts to contact the accused failed as they had already vacated their Chandigarh office. The complainants received only a partial refund of Rs 50,000 and were subsequently threatened with violence. In one recorded call, Harmeet reportedly threatened to physically assault Manjeet for demanding his money back.

The investigation revealed that both accused are seasoned offenders with long criminal track records across multiple states. Arjit Kumar was previously arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police in a high-profile case under multiple IPC Sections and the Arms Act. He was involved in the fabrication of fake passports for the accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder conspiracy, including Anmol Bishnoi and Sachin Thapan.

He has been booked in at least eight prior cases under charges, including cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and violations of the Passport Act.

Harmeet has also been implicated in at least five cases involving cheating, forgery, and violations of the Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act and Emigration Act. He is accused of preparing fake Aadhaar cards, passports, voter IDs, educational certificates, and visas using high-quality forgeries and maintaining a network of accomplices across state lines.

Police officials stated that further investigation is underway.