Daijiworld Media Network - Mohali

Mohali, Apr 20: A local court in Mohali has convicted an immigration agent in a visa fraud case and sentenced her to three years of rigorous imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 1.02 lakh to be paid as compensation to the complainant.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Anish Goyal held Chhavi Sharma, a resident of Chandigarh’s Sector 48, guilty under Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 24 of the Immigration Act.

As per the court order, the convict has been awarded three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh under IPC Section 420, along with one year of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000 under the Immigration Act.

According to the prosecution, a case was registered at Mataur police station on January 18, 2024, in connection with an alleged fraud of Rs 19 lakh.

The complainant had approached Star Future Education and Immigration Services in Mohali’s Sector 70 in November 2022 to secure an Australian study visa for his daughter. The accused had promised to arrange the visa within 90 days and collected nearly Rs 19 lakh in instalments.

However, the visa process was not completed within the promised time, and the money was not refunded. After waiting for over a year, the complainant discovered that the university offer letter provided by the accused was fake, following which he approached the police.

During the trial, the court observed that financial transactions and elements of cheating were clearly established through bank records and witness testimonies, noting that the evidence sufficiently proved the offence and unauthorised immigration activity.

The court, however, remarked that the complainant had failed to independently verify the authenticity of the offer letter from the concerned university.

After examining the evidence, the court acquitted the accused of charges related to forgery and criminal conspiracy, but convicted her of cheating and operating without proper authorisation under the Immigration Act.