Immigration consultant held for Rs 1.83 cr visa fraud

The Delhi Police (Crime Branch) arrested an immigration consultant for allegedly cheating a woman of nearly Rs 1.83 crore on the false promise of securing immigration to Canada through a business investment programme, officials said on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Dharminder Sharma, was arrested by the Cyber Cell of the Crime Branch in connection with FIR No 176/2024, registered under Sections 420, 409 and 120B of the IPC. According to the police, the complainant came into contact with Sharma after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic while exploring opportunities to migrate to Canada for employment. Sharma allegedly introduced himself as the director (operations) of an immigration consultancy firm and projected himself as an expert in Canadian immigration and overseas investment programmes.

The police said the accused allegedly convinced the complainant to invest CAD 2,50,000 in a purported business investment programme and additionally collected CAD 45,000 as professional fees, taking the total amount involved to CAD 2,95,000 (approximately Rs 1.83 crore).

Investigators said Sharma assured the complainant that the investment would secure Canadian immigration, work permits and business ownership rights. To gain her confidence, he allegedly created documents showing that she would become a director and shareholder in a hospitality company based in Canada.

However, during investigation, the police found that the complainant was never inducted as a shareholder or director of the company and that ownership remained with other individuals. The Crime Branch said that after receiving the money in foreign bank accounts, the accused siphoned off funds through cash withdrawals, debit transactions and transfers across multiple accounts instead of using them for legitimate business purposes.

Officials said the accused allegedly continued to mislead the complainant even after Canadian authorities rejected her visa applications multiple times, giving false assurances and filing reconsideration requests to delay refunding the money. The police said a laptop allegedly used in the commission of the offence has been recovered from the accused. The device is suspected to contain digital evidence including emails, financial transaction records, immigration documents and social media chats linked to the case.