Ludhiana city man duped of ₹17 lakh, 3 booked

ASI Malkeet Singh said that the victim is a resident of Sanjay Gandhi Colony, Tajpur Road, Ludhiana. He had aspirations of moving to Canada and was introduced to the accused travel agents through a common contact.

The division number 7 police have registered an FIR against three Noida-based travel agents for allegedly duping a city resident of ₹17 lakh on the pretext of sending him abroad. The victim was given a fake visa, the police said.

Police said that the victim was given a fake visa. (HT Photo for representation)

The accused, identified as Randhir, Micky Arora and Shivam, residents of Noida, have been booked under Section 420 (cheating) of the IPC and Section 24 of the Immigration Act. The case was registered based on a complaint by Dilpreet Singh, 26, a resident of Sanjay Gandhi Colony, Tajpur Road, who works in a private firm.

According to ASI Malkeet Singh, the investigating officer, Dilpreet had aspirations of moving to Canada and was introduced to the accused travel agents through a common contact. The accused demanded ₹17 lakh which Dilpreet paid in installments. Upon receiving the full amount, the agents provided him with a visa for Canada.

When Dilpreet reached the airport, he discovered that the visa was fake. Realising he had been duped, he immediately approached the police and filed a complaint.

ASI Malkit Singh, who is investigating the case, said the FIR has been registered following an investigation. A hunt is on for the arrest of the accused.