Six accused would promise jobs to people and give them fake visas. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)
THE THANE Crime Branch on Monday busted a fake visa racket and arrested two persons who allegedly duped over 50 people by promising them visas in Dubai and Kuwait. Six accused in the case, of whom two have been arrested, would take Rs 50,000 from each person promising them jobs and give them fake visas and airline tickets. Assistant Commissioner of Police Bharat Shelke said the accused would tell the victims that they could process work visas only in groups.
Once they had about 50 people, they would take Rs 50,000 from each of them, along with their passports. The accused would then attach fake visas and air tickets on the passports. “The victims would come to know that they have been conned only when they reached the airport. When they complaint to the accused, the latter would keep avoiding them citing various excuses,” Shelke added.
Rehana Shaikh, a Bhandup resident, approached the police and informed them that she had been duped by Asgar Ali, alias Javed, and Bablu Nepali Shaikh who took money from her on the pretext of giving her a job in Dubai. Unit 5 of the Thane Crime Branch started an investigation and found that the accused had duped several others in a similar manner.
The duo was arrested and the police found that they had taken at least Rs 24 lakh from several people. The police also found several fake visas and passports from the residence of the accused. Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhishek Trimukhe said: “So far, over 50 victims have come forward. We are in the process of tracking down several others who we know have been duped by the accused. We are also looking for four other accused who helped the two arrested persons carry out the scam.”
