The Sadar police have registered an FIR against three accused, including a woman and her fiancé, for allegedly duping a Malerkotla resident of ₹21 lakh by promising to send his family abroad. The accused reportedly provided forged Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) documents to gain the victim’s trust and extract money.
The complainant, Abdul Majid, a resident of College Road, Malerkotla and an IELTS center owner, approached the police with a complaint on August 6, 2024. Following a preliminary inquiry led by an ACP-rank officer, the police registered a case against Megha Sood, her fiance Navpreet Singh of Ajit Naga of Jagraon and her mother Renu Sood.
According to Majid, the scam began when his neighbor, Mohammad Khalid, expressed interest in settling his wife, Nida Siddiqui, and eventually their family in the UK. As someone already working in the IELTS field, Majid recommended Megha and Navpreet, whom he had known through his professional network.
The deal for a UK work permit was finalized at ₹29.50 lakh. The first installment of ₹4 lakh, along with necessary documents, was handed over during a meeting at a restaurant in the Sadar area.
“About 20 days later, Megha shared what she claimed was Nida’s COS via WhatsApp, prompting further payments. In total, ₹13.50 lakh was transferred to the bank accounts of Megha and her mother. Megha later claimed a need to change the sponsor company and sent another COS, again demanding more money. Navpreet visited us in Malerkotla and collected ₹8 lakh in cash, assuring us a visa would be delivered in 20 days. He even handed over two cheques as security,” Majid said.
{{/usCountry}}“About 20 days later, Megha shared what she claimed was Nida’s COS via WhatsApp, prompting further payments. In total, ₹13.50 lakh was transferred to the bank accounts of Megha and her mother. Megha later claimed a need to change the sponsor company and sent another COS, again demanding more money. Navpreet visited us in Malerkotla and collected ₹8 lakh in cash, assuring us a visa would be delivered in 20 days. He even handed over two cheques as security,” Majid said.
{{/usCountry}}However, the visa never arrived. When asked, the accused kept stalling with excuses. Eventually, when no visa was arranged and the money wasn’t returned, attempts to encash Navpreet’s cheques failed due to insufficient funds.
ASI Sunil Kumar, the investigating officer, confirmed that the accused not only cheated the complainant but also used forged documents to support their claims. “The accused used fake COS to build trust and extort money. The investigation confirmed their involvement,” he added.
The trio has been booked under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 467 (Forgery of valuable security, will, etc.), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 120-B (Criminal conspiracy) of IPC. A hunt is on for the arrest of the accused.
The Sadar police have registered an FIR against three accused, including a woman and her fiancé, for allegedly duping a Malerkotla resident of ₹21 lakh by promising to send his family abroad. The accused reportedly provided forged Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) documents to gain the victim’s trust and extract money.
The complainant, Abdul Majid, a resident of College Road, Malerkotla and an IELTS center owner, approached the police with a complaint on August 6, 2024. Following a preliminary inquiry led by an ACP-rank officer, the police registered a case against Megha Sood, her fiance Navpreet Singh of Ajit Naga of Jagraon and her mother Renu Sood.
According to Majid, the scam began when his neighbor, Mohammad Khalid, expressed interest in settling his wife, Nida Siddiqui, and eventually their family in the UK. As someone already working in the IELTS field, Majid recommended Megha and Navpreet, whom he had known through his professional network.
The deal for a UK work permit was finalized at ₹29.50 lakh. The first installment of ₹4 lakh, along with necessary documents, was handed over during a meeting at a restaurant in the Sadar area.
“About 20 days later, Megha shared what she claimed was Nida’s COS via WhatsApp, prompting further payments. In total, ₹13.50 lakh was transferred to the bank accounts of Megha and her mother. Megha later claimed a need to change the sponsor company and sent another COS, again demanding more money. Navpreet visited us in Malerkotla and collected ₹8 lakh in cash, assuring us a visa would be delivered in 20 days. He even handed over two cheques as security,” Majid said.
However, the visa never arrived. When asked, the accused kept stalling with excuses. Eventually, when no visa was arranged and the money wasn’t returned, attempts to encash Navpreet’s cheques failed due to insufficient funds.
ASI Sunil Kumar, the investigating officer, confirmed that the accused not only cheated the complainant but also used forged documents to support their claims. “The accused used fake COS to build trust and extort money. The investigation confirmed their involvement,” he added.
The trio has been booked under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 467 (Forgery of valuable security, will, etc.), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 120-B (Criminal conspiracy) of IPC. A hunt is on for the arrest of the accused.