The CID Crime, Ahmedabad Zone, has registered a case against four people for allegedly collecting Rs 81.95 lakh from multiple applicants on the promise of arranging New Zealand work visas and jobs.
The accused have been identified as Vaibhav Dineshkumar Prajapati and Akhil Subhashbhai Chatur of Ahmedabad, Oish Ali Akbar Ali Hasanwala of Banaskantha and Ahmed Aflak of New Delhi. The case was registered following a complaint by 44-year-old Vipulbhai Navinchandra Prajapati, a resident of Kalol in Gandhinagar district.
Facebook Ad Promised Rs 2.5 Lakh Monthly Salary
According to the complaint, Vipul came across a Facebook advertisement in October 2023 offering a three-year New Zealand work permit with a monthly salary of around Rs 2.5 lakh.
He contacted Vaibhav using the number provided in the advertisement. Vaibhav allegedly met him at an office in World Trade Tower on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway and claimed to arrange work, student and visitor visas for New Zealand, Australia, Canada and European countries.
He allegedly assured Vipul that his New Zealand work permit would be arranged within three to four months.
Applicants Paid More Than Rs 21 Lakh
Vipul later introduced his brother-in-law to Vaibhav, who allegedly made a similar promise to him. The two applicants were asked to submit their passports and educational certificates and pay registration charges.
Separate memoranda of understanding were subsequently signed, with the total fee for each applicant fixed at around Rs 11.10 lakh.
The applicants were allegedly told that they would have to undergo a company assessment before receiving a job offer. When Vipul said he did not have an experience certificate, Vaibhav allegedly offered to arrange an experience letter based on the requirements of the prospective employer.
Zoom Interview and Alleged Fake Documents
On December 6, 2023, Vipul allegedly appeared for an English-language interview through a Zoom video call.
He was later shown documents purportedly to be a New Zealand company’s job offer letter and visa. According to the complaint, the documents were forged and allegedly used to convince the applicants that the promised employment and work permits were genuine.
Vipul and his brother-in-law allegedly paid Rs 21.20 lakh to the accused through cash and bank transactions.
Rs 81.95 Lakh Allegedly Collected
Police said other applicants, who are witnesses in the case, allegedly paid an additional Rs 60.75 lakh, taking the total amount collected to Rs 81.95 lakh.
Of this, around Rs 11.40 lakh was allegedly returned, leaving approximately Rs 70.55 lakh outstanding.
The complainant alleged that despite repeated assurances, the promised New Zealand work permits were never processed and the remaining money was not returned.
CID Crime Launches Investigation
The CID Crime has registered the case and launched an investigation. Officials will examine the financial transactions, documents shown to the applicants and the alleged role of all four accused.
Further action will be taken based on the evidence gathered during the investigation.