E-Paper
American dream shattered: Ludhiana couple loses ₹1 crore in fake US visa scam
The Sidhwan Bet police of Ludhiana rural police have registered an FIR against the agent following a complaint by Balwant Singh, a resident of Baghian village
A couple from Sidhwan Bet aspiring to settle in the United States (US) fell victim to a visa scam, losing ₹1.08 crore to a local travel agent. The accused not only failed to fulfil his promise of legal immigration but also handed them fake US visas after making them travel across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
The Sidhwan Bet police of Ludhiana rural police have registered an FIR against the agent following a complaint by Balwant Singh, a resident of Baghian village. In his complaint, Balwant alleged that his son Jagroop Singh and daughter-in-law Pooja Rani were eager to move to the US and, in February last year, contacted Parminder Singh, a local travel agent. Parminder had assured them of legal immigration and proper arrangements in the US, striking a deal for ₹95 lakh.
₹11.1 lakh paid as first instalment
The family made an initial payment of ₹11.10 lakh, after which Jagroop and Pooja left for Mumbai in March last year. From there, they were flown to Jakarta (Indonesia), accompanied by the agent himself. After spending a month in Jakarta, the couple was taken to Malaysia for ten days and then transported to Singapore by bus.
According to the FIR, Parminder Singh kept demanding more money, and Jagroop’s father continued transferring funds into bank accounts provided by the accused. The ordeal worsened when, after reaching Singapore, the agent took them back to Malaysia and then again to Indonesia.
Agent showed images of fake US visa: Victims
“After returning to Indonesia, Parminder told us that our US visa had arrived and showed us its image. However, when we later checked, we realised it was fake. By then, we had already given him ₹1.08 crore in multiple instalments. When we confronted him, he threatened to hand us over to the local police,” stated Jagroop Singh in his FIR statement.
Feeling trapped and cheated, the couple managed to return to India after their family arranged return tickets in July 2024. However, upon questioning Parminder Singh, he refused to refund their money and instead issued threats, claiming his work was over after providing the visa, despite it being fraudulent.
Investigating officer ASI Sukhmandar Singh confirmed that an FIR has been lodged against Parminder Singh under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 467, 468, 471 (forgery), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with Section 13 of the Punjab Travel Professional (Regulations) Act at Sidhwan Bet police station.
A hunt is on for the arrest of the accused.
