Two booked for cheating Rs 86.7 lakh in the name of Australian job visa in Karnataka

Udupi: Gangolli police have registered a case against two individuals for allegedly cheating a woman and her friends of Rs 86.7 lakh by promising them employment visas to Australia.

According to the complaint filed by Tina Nazareth (43), a resident of Gujjadi village, Kundapur, the accused Prakruthi and Elton Rebero, who run a school in Bengaluru and are known to her, visited Gangolli in April 2024. During their visit, they allegedly convinced her that they could arrange job visas for Australia.

Believing their assurance, Tina and her acquaintances transferred money in a phased manner between April 2024 and September 5, 2024, amounting to a total of Rs 86,70,000. The complainant reportedly paid Rs 34 lakh, while others—Johnson Fernandes (Rs 8 lakh), Leeta Pinto (Rs 6.8 lakh), Sophia Pinto (Rs 19.5 lakh), and Reena Praveen Noronha (Rs 18 lakh)—also contributed sums.

The accused, however, failed to provide the promised visas or return the money.

Based on the complaint, Gangolli Police have registered under Sections 316(2), 318(2), and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).