Panipat. A major immigration fraud has been exposed in Haryana’s Panipat, where a father-son duo allegedly cheated two job aspirants by promising visas and employment opportunities in Croatia. Police have arrested one of the accused, Anil, while his son Jatin remains absconding. The arrested accused has been sent to a four-day police remand for further interrogation.
Coaching Institute Link Emerges
The case came to light following a complaint filed by Saurabh, a resident of Bishan Swaroop Colony, who runs an IELTS and PTE coaching institute in Sukdev Nagar. According to the complaint, Anil and his son Jatin frequently visited the institute and introduced themselves as representatives of a company named “Hiringster Hub Private Limited,” claiming they facilitated overseas job placements and had already sent several candidates abroad successfully.
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Based on their assurances, two candidates, Rajat from Kurukshetra and Jaswinder from Ambala, were introduced for overseas placement discussions in March 2024. The accused allegedly convinced them that they could arrange work permits and visas for Croatia for a total fee of ₹30 lakh.
Fake Embassy Appointment Staged
Investigators say the duo systematically collected sensitive personal documents, including passports, academic certificates, identity proofs, photographs, and even obtained signatures on multiple papers under the pretext of visa processing requirements. This marked the beginning of a structured financial exploitation.
The fraud escalated on 5 June 2024, when the victims were called to Delhi for what was described as an “embassy appointment.” During this staged process, Jaswinder’s grandfather, Baldev Singh, was allegedly made to transfer ₹5.50 lakh via RTGS into the company’s account. In addition, the accused reportedly collected ₹8.37 lakh in cash outside the so-called embassy premises, while also completing biometric procedures such as fingerprinting to maintain the illusion of authenticity.
Payments Collected In Two Phases
A second phase of the scam unfolded on 16 December 2024 in Mumbai, where another embassy appointment was arranged. During this stage, the accused allegedly pressured the victims by claiming that the visa process was nearing completion and demanded further payments. An additional ₹16.12 lakh was transferred into multiple bank accounts, bringing the total cheated amount to ₹30 lakh.
After months of delay, the accused informed the victims that their visa applications had been rejected but promised to restart the process. However, no progress was made, and neither refunds nor documents were returned. When the victims demanded repayment, the accused allegedly issued threats and warned them against approaching the police.
Absconding Son Being Traced
Following an investigation, a formal case was registered on April 1 at the City Police Station in Panipat. Police officials confirmed that preliminary findings indicate the fraud was executed jointly by Anil and his son Jatin in a planned manner.
The arrested accused Anil is currently under interrogation on a four-day police remand. Authorities are focusing on tracing the absconding co-accused Jatin and recovering the cheated money. Investigators are also examining whether additional individuals are involved and if the operation is part of a larger organized immigration fraud network targeting aspirants seeking overseas opportunities.
Police have stated that the case is being treated as organized financial crime, and efforts are underway to identify other potential victims who may have been similarly deceived.
