Panchkula, March 25: Authorities in Panchkula have dismantled an immigration fraud ring following the arrest of four people linked to a Rs 12-lakh visa scam. The district’s specialized anti-fraud unit confirmed that the suspects allegedly targeted a man from Ludhiana, providing him with a fraudulent Australian visa and several forged documents in November 2025.
The investigation, which began under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, saw officers track the suspects across state lines. Police stated that after the initial apprehension of a suspect in Ambala, a series of raids in Mathura led to the arrest of three additional individuals, including a husband and wife. Law enforcement officials maintained that the suspects used sophisticated methods to convince the victim of the visa’s authenticity, resulting in the victim spending an additional Rs 5 lakh on non-refundable travel preparations.
During the operation, investigators declared the recovery of several mobile phones and over Rs 3 lakh in cash suspected to be part of the defrauded amount. The police affirmed that the WhatsApp chats between the victim and the accused have been archived as primary evidence of the criminal intimidation and cheating.
“Two accused are still absconding, and raids are underway to nab them,” a senior official asserted regarding the ongoing manhunt. The four currently in custody were sent to jail on Tuesday following the completion of their police remand. Prosecutors declared that they would seek a speedy trial to address the rising instances of immigration-related crimes in the region.
