Ahmedabad: A 52-year-old businessman from Chiloda allegedly lost ₹80 lakh after a group of people promised to arrange US business visas for his son and daughter-in-law, according to a complaint registered by the CID (Crime).
The complainant, who runs a die-casting factory in Odhav, said he was introduced to two men from Kalol in November 2023 through his brother-in-law. The duo allegedly claimed they could secure US visas for the couple and facilitate their travel to America within four days for ₹1.15 crore.
The businessman alleged that the accused took the couple’s original passports and directed him to make payments through an angadia firm. He reportedly paid ₹55 lakh at the firm’s Bapunagar branch on November 6, 2023, followed by another ₹25 lakh the next day.
The group later sent him a PDF purportedly showing US e-visas issued to the couple. However, the businessman allegedly found the documents to be fake when he checked them online.
When he sought a refund, the accused allegedly assured him that the money would be returned if the visa process was not completed by December 22, 2023. The payment was allegedly never refunded.
During subsequent inquiries, the businessman reportedly learned that the ₹55 lakh deposited in Bapunagar had been collected from the firm’s Rajkot branch by an unidentified person allegedly posing as one of the accused. The remaining ₹25 lakh was reportedly collected from the firm’s Sarathana branch in Surat by another unidentified person.
CID (Crime) has registered a cheating case against five named accused and several unidentified individuals.
