PANCHKULA, May 25— A travel agent from Indore who duped a Barwala resident of ₹20 lakh with false promises of securing entry into the United States has been arrested by Panchkula police.
The accused, Lokesh Jat, was apprehended on May 16 in Noida by the anti-immigration fraud unit. He is one of four individuals named in the case. Following his seven-day police remand, authorities recovered ₹5 lakh of the defrauded amount. He has since been remanded to judicial custody.
The victim, Dilraj Singh, filed a complaint on September 30, 2024, recounting a harrowing journey that began on October 13, 2023. Under Jat’s direction, Singh was sent through a string of countries—Thailand, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Russia, and Dubai—with the belief that he was being routed toward eventual entry into the US.
However, the plan never materialized. After being stranded abroad for several months, Singh was ultimately brought back to India. He alleged that Jat later offered an alternative plan involving a Canadian visa as a supposed gateway to the US, but again failed to deliver or return the money.
Police officials confirmed that Jat was involved in a well-orchestrated immigration scam and that efforts are underway to trace and apprehend the remaining three absconding accused. “We are committed to bringing all the culprits to justice and recovering the remaining amount,” a police spokesperson said.
