US visa applicant booked for submitting fake certificates to consulate

Kerala man booked for cheating and forgery after presenting fake experience certificates to the American consulate for a US visa interview.

MUMBAI: A man aspiring to secure employment in the United States of America (USA) has been booked for cheating and forgery after it was found that he had presented fake experience certificates to the American consulate.

HT Image

According to the complaint, the accused identified as Vivian Valcheira, hailing from Kerala, applied for a visa interview on Tuesday morning, providing an experience certificate claiming employment aboard a cruise ship for a brief period. Subsequently, consulate officials conducted a background check by reaching out to the cruise line managers mentioned in the certificate. The managers responded, stating that the individual named Vivian Valcheira had never worked with them.

During the visa interview, Valcheira was questioned about these discrepancies. They then came to know that he had forged the said documents with the help of two other men.

“The authorities handed the man over to us once they were able to establish that they had received forged documents. We have booked the accused and his two unknown acquaintances under sections 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code,” stated an officer from the BKC police.