Mumbai: Mumbai Police has arrested Akanksha Rajendra Tiwari, a senior visa counsellor with Achieve International, for allegedly cheating a Nepali couple on the pretext of providing them with a job and visa for London. She is currently in police custody, where she is being questioned. Police have stated that her arrest may help unearth more such cases.
The complainant, identified as Vikas Khativeda, is a Nepali national. Khativeda, an engineering consultant by profession, frequently stays with a friend in Agripada.
Vikas’s wife, Monika Dahal, had been seeking an employment opportunity in London. While searching for agencies in Mumbai that offer job-plus-visa services, she came across a private firm on social media.
Subsequently, the couple visited the Achieve International office located in Kandivali’s Raghuleela Mall. Akanksha informed them that a minimum expenditure of 25,000 pounds would be required for a London work visa and dependent visa and she demanded an advance payment of Rs 2 lakh. The couple paid the amount along with their passports for processing.
Following directions from Akanksha and the company owner, Rohit Songara, the couple transferred an additional Rs 25,44,132 between June 2024 and May 2025. During this period, they were repeatedly assured that their job offer letter and visas would soon be issued.
However, even after the promised date, Monika did not receive the work visa, nor did Vikas receive the dependent visa. When they asked for updates, the accused allegedly made excuses and began avoiding them.
Soon after the promised date, the couple found the Kandivali office locked. They later learned that the company had shifted to Malad, but the accused were not found there either. Realising that they had been duped of a total of Rs 27,44,132, Vikas approached the Kandivali Police and lodged a complaint.
Police then registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against both Akanksha Tiwari and Rohit Songara. A search was launched for the duo, and Akanksha was arrested three days ago.
