A visa consultant from Ahmedabad has accused a Mumbai-based consultancy of swindling him and his clients out of over ₹16 lakh. The allegations surfaced when Devangbhai Dilipbhai Upadhyay filed a formal complaint at the Ghatlodia Police Station.
Upadhyay, who’s been in the visa consultancy business for nearly ten years, claimed he was lured into a fraudulent scheme by Aaarkane Overseas Company. In April 2024, he visited their office in Mumbai, where owners Sonali Gurmukh Chandani and Dishant Shaileshkumar Maniyar, along with manager Rafael Rajput, promised him ‘100 per cent’ success in obtaining work visas for European countries like Finland and Bosnia.
The firm quoted fees of around ₹4 lakh for Finnish visas and ₹2 lakh for Bosnian permits. Trusting their assurances, Upadhyay connected with several clients from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Sabarkantha, and Porbandar.
Between October 2024 and June 2025, Upadhyay transferred approximately ₹11.05 lakh from his Bank of Baroda account to the consultancy’s bank account. Overall transactions reportedly totaled about ₹16.05 lakh.
But despite numerous follow-ups and visits to the firm’s office in Mumbai over the past year and a half, there’s been no sign of any processed applications or refunds. The accused allegedly stalled communications on various grounds until they stopped responding altogether.
The FIR alleges that none of the promised visas materialized. Consequently, Upadhyay concluded that both he and his clients had been victims of fraud.
A case under relevant laws regarding cheating and criminal breach of trust has been registered as police continue to document statements from victims while tracing financial transactions related to this case.