An unauthorised travel agent allegedly duped an immigration company of ₹5.44 lakh on the pretext of arranging work permits for their 200 customers, police said on Tuesday.
Bhupinder Singh, who operates HS International in Transport Nagar, filed a complaint with the Moti Nagar police on May 29 against Gopal Singh of DRD International. A case was filed against Gopal on Tuesday.
Bhupinder said that Gopal assured him of procuring work permits on behalf of his 200 customers for Russia in 2020, but due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the flights were canceled, resulting in the expiration of the permits.
“After the COVID-19 situation eased, the accused approached me once again, claiming to be able to arrange work permits for my customers,” Singh said.
In exchange for his services, Gopal received an initial installment of ₹5.44 lakh. Despite receiving the payment, he failed to deliver the promised work permits and even refused to refund the money.
Investigating officer ASI Jatinder Singh, from Moti Nagar police station, confirmed that a case has been registered against the accused under Section 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The accused is yet to be arrested.