Mohali immigration agent absconding for 1.5 years arrested for Rs 19.35 lakh fraud
Accused has been operating immigration offices in Mohali, Kapurthala and Jalandhar; all were shut down due to fraud complaints
A Mohali-based immigration agent has been arrested by a police team from Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar in connection with a fraud case involving Rs 19.35 lakh.
The accused was identified as Mandeep Singh Aulakh. He had been absconding for the past about 18 months.
To apprehend him, the police team camped continuously for four days in the MR Hills area of Mohali and finally succeeded in taking him into custody. He was brought to Sriganganagar on Friday.
Cops visited hotels, restaurants, petrol pumps, and other public places—carrying Mandeep Singh's photograph to aid in their search.
To evade arrest, Mandeep Singh had adopted a unique strategy: although he possessed a mobile phone, he used it without a SIM card. He invariably carried a dongle with him and typically operated his phone by obtaining Wi-Fi passwords from people in his immediate vicinity. Due to the use of the dongle, the police were unable to pinpoint his exact location.
The police said Vikram Jat of Morjand Khari village, Sriganganagar, filed a case of fraud on December 2, 2024, at the Sadulshahar Police Station against Mandeep Singh Aulakh and his acquaintance Ravinder Kaur.
Vikram had previously resided in Cyprus for some time. After returning from there, he wished to go abroad once again. His wife, Pooja, had completed a nursing course, and Vikram intended to send her to England. In July 2024, he established contact online with Aulakh.
The agent reportedly quoted a fee of Rs 35 lakh to facilitate Pooja's relocation to England. Following this, Vikram reportedly paid Rs 27.35 lakh. The remaining amount was to be paid after the visa was issued.
Aulakh had initiated the visa processing, but it could not be issued. Vikram demanded the return of his money. Aulakh refunded Rs 8 lakh; approximately Rs 19 lakh remained outstanding.
To settle this amount, Aulakh Mandeep issued bank cheques to Vikram; however, all these bounced due to insufficient funds in the account. Subsequently, Aulakh absconded.
Aulakh has been operating immigration offices in Mohali, Kapurthala, and Jalandhar. All these were shut down one by one due to fraud complaints.
Upon his arrest, Mandeep Singh told the police that the contacts in England—through whom he facilitated the migration of people—had cheated him. As a result, funds amounting to approximately Rs 2.5 crore became stuck, compelling him to sell his house and mortgage his car.
