Couple Booked for Defrauding Over 40 People in Canada Visa Scam

Indian authorities have booked a couple for allegedly deceiving over 40 individuals out of Rs 1.63 crore under the guise of providing work visas for Canada.

The accused, Rina Shah and Gaurav Shah, are currently the subjects of an intensive police search. The fraudulent activities reportedly took place between May 2023 and June 2024.

The scheme was brought to light by a 46-year-old resident of Malad, who filed a complaint after paying Rs 7.16 lakh as a processing fee for a Canadian work visa. When the promised visa failed to materialize and the responses from the Shahs became increasingly vague, the complainant discovered that many others had been similarly duped.

In an interview with The Indian Express, the complainant disclosed that the Shahs had set up online media centers on various social media platforms, showcasing positive reviews and statuses of visa applications to lure victims. However, these online presences were swiftly dismantled once the scam began to unravel.

“So far, 40 victims have come forward. There are possibilities that the couple has defrauded many other victims,” the complainant stated.

The police have charged Rina and Gaurav Shah under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Despite the couple’s claims of being victims of a visa-providing agency, authorities remain doubtful.

“We are in the process of obtaining details of the bank accounts used by the accused, identifying who handled these accounts, and determining the end beneficiaries of the money,” a police officer involved in the investigation said.

The accused couple also allegedly provided victims with certain documents. If these documents are proven to be forged, additional charges related to forgery will be added.

The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to locate and apprehend the accused couple.