Fraud of 51 lakhs in the name of American Visa

Ahmedabad. A gang of five miscreants cheated an Ahmedabad man of Rs 51 lakh by promising to get him a US visa. The victim, Shailesh Patel, a 48-year-old school van driver, lodged a complaint with the local police on Friday detailing the incidents of cheating. At present, the investigation of the case is going on and the police is interrogating the criminals to find out the modus operandi and the large network. Shailesh has lodged a complaint with Navrangpura police, accusing a person named Jaswinder Singh Bajwa and four others of breach of trust, cheating and criminal conspiracy. According to information, when Shailesh’s brother-in-law Haresh Patel, who currently lives in Chicago, requested him to assist his friend Pragnesh Patel in obtaining a visitor’s visa in December. Haresh provided Shailesh with the information of a visa agent named Ayaz Syed. As told by his brother-in-law, Shailesh immediately contacted Ayaz. Instead of helping Shailesh directly, Ayaz instructs him to contact Bajwa, the owner of a tour firm. After several days, Haresh contacts Shailesh again and tells him that Bajwa had instructed him to deposit a huge sum of Rs 51 lakh with an Angadiya company. Haresh was told that the purpose of this transaction was to create a banking transaction in Pragnesh’s account, which is a requirement for the visa application process. Trusting Haresh and believing in the legality of the arrangement, Shailesh follows his brother-in-law’s instruction. He deposited the money with Angadia firm and took the receipt. Shailesh is informed by an official of the Angadia firm that the visa will be available within two days. However, even after several days, Shailesh did not get any communication from Bajwa or Angadiya firm. When he tried to contact them, it was found that their phones were switched off and they could not be contacted.