Image showing a handcuff and the word fraud. For representational purposes.
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Bengaluru: The Bengaluru police have arrested a couple residing in the southern part of the city for allegedly defrauding at least 50 people of Rs 4 crore by promising them work visas to various countries.
The arrested couple has been identified as Saqlain Sultan and Nikkhat Sultan, residents of Tilak Nagar in southeastern Bengaluru.
According to the police, all the victims are from Rajasthan. They saw advertisements posted by the couple on social media offering visas for a nominal fee. When a friend of one of the victims contacted the couple, they demanded Rs 8 lakh per visa.
The suspects initially obtained visas for three people without requiring any tests or documentation. Following this, 50 more people contacted the couple and met with them in Bengaluru.
“However, this time, the couple was unable to procure visas. When questioned by the victims, they cooked up a story about submitting applications to the embassy for approval,” an investigator in the case told DH.
The investigator stated that the couple had collected over Rs 4 crore from the victims. As pressure mounted, the couple provided the victims with counterfeit visas.
“Upon verification, the visas were found to be fake, leading the victims to file a police complaint,” the officer said.
The couple was arrested at their residence in Tilak Nagar.
Police suspect the involvement of other people and have launched a search for them.