Malad police have apprehended one of the main culprits involved in a conspiracy to commit fraud, embezzling approximately ₹72 lakh from a businessman. The fraudulent scheme aimed to secure permanent residency in Canada while establishing a new business office.
The accused individual has been identified as Khatil Shah, who also goes by the alias Khantil Srenik Kumar Sanghvi. He is facing charges under the section related to fraud.
The victim in this case is Vikram Vishwanath Fatechandka, a resident of Malad, who resides there with his family. He operates a private company where Amit Mehta and Lina Fatechandka serve as directors. This company specializes in facilitating visa applications and handling various legal documents required for both citizenship and business opportunities abroad, including higher education. The company charges customers legal fees for their services.
Within the company, Fatechandka and his wife, Leena, are responsible for immigration-related tasks, while advocate Amit Mehta oversees the company's legal affairs.
Aim to gain Fatechandka's trust
The scheme took root in October 2020 when Fatechandka was introduced to Khateel Shah. Shah claimed to be associated with a company named Acme International, specializing in immigration services. He also asserted that he had legitimate credentials with the RCIC department in Canada, aiming to gain Fatechandka's trust by assuring him of a lawful process for securing Canadian residency.
Fatechandka's aspirations included renting a location in Canada to commence his own business and settling there permanently with his family. Consequently, he engaged Shah's services and made payments of approximately ₹72 lakh rupees in installments. Twelve lakhs were transferred via NEFT, and the remaining ₹60 lakhs were provided in cash. However, despite receiving the money and all the necessary documents, Shah failed to fulfill his commitments in Canada.
Tactics to evade inquiries
Shah employed various tactics to evade Fatechandka's inquiries, claiming that the Canadian Immigration Counsel office had not received the necessary documents. He even presented a copy of the email purportedly sent to the relevant department as proof. Upon contacting the provided phone number in the email copy, it was revealed to be fraudulent.
Frustrated by Shah's deceit, Fatechandka began demanding a refund. A legal notice was sent on behalf of the company to Shah's office in Malad, but he did not respond or return the money. A month later, Shah abruptly closed his Malad office and fled, leaving his employees unpaid.
Subsequently, Shah opened a new office in Surat city, where Fatechandka confronted him. Despite Shah's assurances of repayment, he failed to return the ₹72 lakh owed. Both checks issued by Shah bounced.
Upon realizing the extent of the fraud, Vikram Fatechandka promptly filed a written complaint with the Malad police. After conducting an investigation, the police officially registered a case of fraud against Khatil Shah. At the time the case was filed, Shah had been evading authorities for the preceding two months, but he was eventually apprehended by the police two days ago.
