Travel agent cheats youth of Rs 25 lakh on promise of permanent residence in Canada

A resident from Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar (BRS )Nagar was defrauded of Rs 25 lakh by a Mohali-based travel agent who lured him with the false promise of securing permanent residence (PR) in Canada. The accused failed to arrange any visa for the complainant and also did not return his money. The victim fell prey to the fraud tempted by attractive assurances.

Advertisement

In this case, the Sarabha Nagar police yesterday registered a case of fraud against agent Sanjay Sharma, the owner of — Saksham Induchand Management — in Mohali, based on a complaint filed by Yuvraj Singh, a resident of Ludhiana.

The complainant in his complaint to the police stated that after completing his studies in 2022, he planned to pursue further education abroad. While searching for a good travel agent, a friend of his uncle identified as Sanjay Sharma visited their home and claimed to run a travel agency in Mohali.

Sharma advised the family to send the boy to Canada not on a student visa, but through permanent residence, stating that although it would cost more, he would permanently settle in Canada. With such enticing promises, the agent convinced his family, the complainant said.

Yuvraj alleged that the deal for the Canadian permanent residence was struck at Rs 30 lakh. He gave some money to Sanjay Sharma in March 2022, and by May 2022, he had handed over Rs 25 lakh to the accused. However, when they later asked for updates or proof regarding the PR process, Sharma said that another travel agent in Delhi was demanding more money and he continued to demand more amount from the complainant’s family. When his family insisted the agent to return money, the accused initially agreed.

Yuvraj claimed that despite months of waiting, the accused kept making excuses and eventually stopped answering their calls. Frustrated and hopeless having lost Rs 25 lakh, Singh submitted a written complaint to senior police officials.

After several months of investigation, senior police officials instructed the Sarabha Nagar police to register a case against the travel agent.

“I have lost a huge sum. Now, I have returned to work in my family’s traditional farming business. I hope that the law will help me recover the lost amount,” said complainant Yuvraj.