Delhi Crime Branch Exposes Visa Fraud Racket

A large-scale visa fraud racket has been exposed, cheating Nepali job-seekers

- TIKAM SHARMA

The Delhi Police Crime Branch has successfully cracked a large-scale visa fraud racket that deceived 19 Nepali citizens of nearly Rs70 lakh by falsely assuring them of employment opportunities in Serbia. Two prime suspects—Jayakab (41) and Rupesh (42)—have been taken into custody, while efforts are underway to trace the remaining members of the gang who are still absconding.

The case came to light after a formal complaint was lodged on August 22 by Sujan Khadka (22), a Nepali national residing temporarily at Paharganj, Delhi. In his statement, Khadka claimed that he and 18 other Nepali individuals had fallen prey to fraudsters who lured them with promises of Serbian work visas in return for heavy payments.

As per police investigations, the accused first made contact with the victims in April 2024 at Jagjeet Nagar, Seelampur. Introducing themselves as well-connected travel facilitators with overseas links, they showcased fabricated Serbian job offer letters and counterfeit visas to win over the trust of the job-seekers. Believing their claims, the victims surrendered their original passports and were persuaded to deposit €3,500 each (amounting to nearly Rs70 lakh in total) through QR code-based transactions routed into accounts linked with the accused's associates.