MBA grad running immigration racket lands in P'kula police net
Panchkula, Nov. 7 -- An MBA graduate, wanted in over 20 casesof immigration fraud, has been arrested by the Panchkula police, along with his two aides.
Accused of dupingaround 100 people from Punjab and Haryana on the pretext of sending them abroad, Sahil Sharma, 35, hailing from Punjab's Hoshiarpur, was nabbed from Jaipur on November 3.
The hunt started following a complaint by Panchkula resident Shivcharan Singh.
The complainant, who lives in Sector 32, told police that his son Gurvinder Singh was planning to move to Australia and came in Sahil's contact through an acquaintance. The complainant said Sahil told him that he was an agent for overseas placements and demanded Rs.14 lakh for the service. "The complainant transferred Rs.5 lakh to his account and Rs.9 lakh was paid in cash," said ACP Vikram Nehra. Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered at the Chandimandir police station under relevant sections of the BNS, and a probe was launched.
Sahil's accomplice Paramjit Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib was the first to be arrested.
Acting on a tip-off, police apprehended him from Kharar on October 24. Singh, who had been operating under the fake identity of "Pradeep Singh" was remanded to seven-day custody, which was later extended by another six days. During interrogation, he revealed Sahil's location, leading to his arrest. He was produced in court and sent to police custody till November 11.
Another gang member, Ramandeep Kaur of Yamunanagar, was also taken into custody through a production warrant.
According to police, the gang ran immigration consultancy offices in Ludhiana, Zirakpur and Yamunanagar.
Investigators said Sahil was facing 13 cases of immigration fraud in Yamunanagar, six in Shahkot (Jalandhar), two each in Zirakpur, Ferozepur and Ludhiana and one in Panchkula.
He has been declared a proclaimed offender in six cases in Punjab. His accomplices were also wanted in multiple cases - 13 in Yamunanagar, two in Zirakpur and one in Panchkula.
Investigations revealed that Sahil frequently changed locations and was using multiple mobile phones, along with SIM cards procured through fake identity. He was planning to expand his operations in Rajasthan to target more people.
Sahil, who operated under the aliases of Ajay Bhardwaj and Pradeep, was previously also arrested by Jalandhar police. But he was able to secure bail using the fake identify and absconded.
During the probe, it also came to fore that on June 10, Sahil duped around 80 people by giving them fake air tickets to Australia and calling them to the Delhi international airport, before disappearing....
To read the full article or to get the complete feed from this publication, please
Contact Us.