Chandigarh Police arrest key suspect in ₹1.6-cr immigration fraud

Chandigarh Police on Wednesday arrested the prime suspect of a massive immigration fraud case involving ₹1.65 crore.

The accused, Ravinder Singh Brar, a 26-year-old Mohali resident, was apprehended following a tip-off. Ravinder, the proprietor of BB Council, an immigration consultancy that operated from Sector 17, was arrested while driving a white Mahindra Scorpio. During the search of the vehicle, police recovered a mobile phone and 11 signed cheques of varying amounts.

During interrogation, Ravinder revealed that he, along with his paternal uncle, Manpreet, opened the firm with the intent of defrauding people who sought study visas.

The duo allegedly lured unsuspecting individuals through social media advertisements. They promised to secure study visas and education loans for students, charging an initial registration fee of ₹40,000 to ₹50,000. They then provided fake offer letters and demanded additional documents, including 60 blank cheques, chartered accountant reports, and property deeds, as surety for the loan.

They further asked for health insurance fees of approximately ₹1.85 lakh and a Guaranteed Investment Certificate fee of ₹6 lakh, which they directed into their company account. However, it has been revealed that the firm had no legitimate license to operate as an immigration consultancy and that the funds collected were not used for the intended purposes.

Till date, a total of seven FIRs have been registered against BB Council and the accused, including Ravinder Singh Brar, Manpreet Singh Brar, Jyoti Mehra, Pushpinder Kaur, and Rachna Kaushik. The cases involve approximately 46 complainants. Additionally, 33 fresh complaints involving ₹82 lakh have been filed against the firm.

Ravinder, after being presented at a local court on Thursday, was remanded for two days. A probe is underway to apprehend other accomplices involved in the fraud.