Chandigarh: Two Arrested For ₹78-Lakh Visa Scam

The UT police have arrested two interstate fraudsters, including one who was also involved in preparing fake passports for the accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, for duping a group of travellers of Rs 78 lakh.

Dummy Flight Tickets To Greece

According to The Tribune, "A team from the Sector 34 police station arrested Harmeet Singh, alias Titu Chand (42), a resident of Kapurthala, Punjab. His questioning led the police to his accomplice, Arjit Kumar, alias Tony (58), of Rani Bagh, Delhi. The accused had prepared fake visas and dummy flight tickets to Greece."

"Guru Tour & Travel"

The complainant, Manjeet Singh of Kaithal, Haryana, reported that Harmeet Singh contacted him, claiming to run “Guru Tour and Travel” in Sector 34-A in August 2022. For Rs 10 lakh per person plus embassy charges, he promised to arrange travel to Greece for Manjeet, his brother, nephews and brother-in-law. The complainant paid Harmeet Rs 78 lakh through various means, including Rs 5 lakh specifically meant for the “Delhi Embassy”.

Forged Visa Documents

On September 19, 2022, the group was denied departure at the airport by immigration officials who found the visa documents forged.The accused had by then abandoned their office and became untraceable, later issuing threats to prevent any legal action.

Harmeet's Past Criminal History

Harmeet has been implicated in at least five cases, mostly in Punjab, of cheating, forgery and violations of the Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act and Emigration Act. He is accused of preparing fake Aadhaar cards, passports, voter IDs, and other documents.

The investigations into the case revealed that both accused have a long criminal history across multiple states. Arjit, a graduate, was previously arrested by the Delhi police in a high-profile case. Arjit Kumar, alias Ajit, Tony, or Paji, is a 58-year-old resident of Rani Bagh in Delhi. He was also involved in preparing fake passports for the accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, including Anmol Bishnoi and Sachin Thapan.