Delhi Police busts Rs 70 lakh visa fraud racket targeting Nepali citizens; two arrested

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) In a major breakthrough, the Delhi Police Crime Branch (Eastern Range-I) has busted a visa fraud racket that duped 19 Nepali nationals of nearly Rs 70 lakh under the pretext of arranging employment opportunities in Serbia.

The accused lured the victims with fake promises of overseas jobs and then forged visas, and fabricated documents.

According to a press release issued on Wednesday by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Vikram Singh, the operation led to the arrest of the racket’s mastermind Jayakab (41) and his associate Rupesh (42).

DCP Crime Vikram Singh said, "A team from Delhi Police Crime Branch, ER-1, busted a fake visa racket, arresting two accused. They had cheated around 19 Nepali citizens of approximately Rs 70 lakh, of which Rs 60 lakh was fraudulently taken...One accused is named Jayakab, and the other is Rupesh."

A total of 13 original Nepali passports and incriminating digital evidence were recovered during the raids.

Efforts are underway to trace and apprehend other absconding members of the syndicate.

The investigation began following a complaint lodged on August 22 by 22-year-old Nepali national Sujan Khadka. He and 18 others alleged that in April 2024, the accused approached them in Delhi’s Seelampur area, claiming he could arrange Serbian work visas through influential contacts.

He showed scanned copies of forged Serbian visas and fake job offer letters to gain their trust, after which the victims handed over their passports and paid Euros 3,500 each, amounting to approximately Rs 70 lakh, via QR code-based digital transactions.

The victims were asked to travel to Delhi in July 2025 to collect their visas. However, upon arrival, the accused started evading them, providing false assurances and eventually issuing threats.

After an independent verification revealed that the visas were fake, a formal complaint was lodged, leading to the registration of FIR No. 222/2025 under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Jayakab, originally from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, is fluent in Nepali and used his language skills to pose as a travel agent, targeting Nepali citizens. He has a history of defrauding both Indian and Nepali youths with false promises of overseas employment.

During interrogation, he admitted to working closely with three associates, Sachin, George alias Bijoj, and Rupesh, all of whom played key roles in collecting money, documents, and threatening victims.

Rupesh, a B.Com graduate from Siwan, Bihar, has been operating as a travel agent for the last 15 years. He confessed to receiving and distributing the defrauded money and handling transactions via WhatsApp calls and unregistered SIM cards to avoid detection.

The investigation also revealed that Rs 60 lakh was moved from Nepal to India through a network involving a Nepali national named Rajaram and coordinated by one Ashish Pandey.

The funds were collected in Delhi by hawala couriers and partially deposited into bank accounts belonging to Jayakab’s wife and acquaintances.

The Delhi Police emphasised that this case exposes a growing trend of transnational visa fraud targeting vulnerable foreign nationals. "We remain committed to dismantling such networks and appeal to the public to remain cautious about agents offering overseas jobs without verification," the Crime Branch stated.

Further investigation is underway, and more arrests and recoveries are expected in the coming days.

--IANS

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