Kapurthala couple gets 2-yr RI for duping Chandigarh resident of ₹18L

A Kapurthala couple was sentenced to two years in prison for cheating a relative out of ₹18 lakh by promising a Canadian visa.

A local court has sentenced a husband-wife duo from Kapurthala to two years rigorous imprisonment (RI) for duping their relative from Sector 29 of ₹18 lakh on the pretext of sending her to Canada.

The court ruled that the prosecution was able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. (HT Photo for representation)

In a complaint filed by Balbir Kaur, alias Jassi of Sector 29-B, she stated that she was running a saloon in Manimajra, Chandigarh when the duo lured her with promises of a Canadian visa. She stated that the accused namely, Ranjit Kaur Satti is the daughter of her aunt and Major Singh, her husband used to meet her occasionally.

On January 2, 2015, the duo met her and said that they have good links in the Canadian Embassy and claimed that work permit visas for beautician/hair dressers are open and they can easily provide visa-cum -work permit for two years for her with a cost of ₹18 lakh.

Balbir Kaur stated that she met with the accused at her residence on January 16, 2016, and agreed to go to Canada on a two year work permit as a beautician and requested them to give some time to arrange the money. They asked her to deposit an initial amount of ₹2 lakh to complete the case file and papers. Over the duration of five months, they took a total ₹18 lakh from her but didn’t give her the required visa and documents.

Later, she came to know that the accused had played the same fraud with other people as well. A FIR was filed under Section 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Emigration Act. The accused were arrested and pleaded not guilty and opted for trial.

The prosecution examined 10 witnesses to prove their case while the accused Major Singh and his wife pleaded that they are an agriculturalist family who had given a friendly loan to the complainant and she had submitted a false complaint. They added that nothing incriminating was recovered from their possession.

The court ruled that the prosecution was able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. The accused were held guilty. As the order on quantum of sentence was pronounced, the accused pleaded that they are first time offenders and have a son to look after.

The court however observed that the accused had duped the complainant of ₹18 lakh and didn’t hold any licence or permit to send the complainant abroad.

Both have been sentenced to RI for two years and fined ₹4,000 each for offences under Section 120-B, sentenced to two years RI and fined ₹4,000 each for offences under Section 420 and sentenced to one year RI and fined ₹1,000 each for offences under the Emigration Act. All the sentences will run concurrently.