Face2News/Panchkula
The Panchkula Police Anti-Immigration Fraud Unit reported to have busted a major inter-state fake work visa racket cheating eight youths of ₹48.25 lakh on the pretext of sending them to Finland, Australia and Italy for employment. Five accused, including a former national-level boxer, have been arrested in this case.
The arrested accused belong to Maharashtra, Bihar and Punjab and were operating under fake names and addresses. Police have recovered 8 mobile phones, 1 laptop, 40 passports from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, 4 Temporary Residence Cards (TRC) of Finland, 6 chequebooks, several fake seals, about 10 ATM cards, and cash exceeding ₹6.75 lakh. Additionally, ₹4 lakh has been frozen from the bank account of the main accused, Gurcharan Singh.
The gang had recently opened a new office in Jaipur with the intention of expanding its network in Rajasthan. The accused already have multiple criminal cases registered against them in Punjab, Delhi and Haryana, all related to immigration fraud.
DCP Panchkula Srishti Gupta, during a press conference, informed that based on a complaint received from a woman representative of WestAid Visa Solutions, Sector-14, Panchkula, an FIR was registered on July 22, 2025 at Sector-14 Police Station under Sections 61, 316(2), 318(4), 336(3), 338, 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 24 of the Immigration Act.
As per the complaint, the accused Gurcharan Singh claimed to be a licensed work permit consultant and assured successful placements abroad. The complainant handed over ₹48.25 lakh along with passports and documents of eight youths. The accused provided fake flight dates in March and April, but none of the victims were sent abroad. Later, under pressure from other agents, the complainant had to refund ₹8 lakh to two victims from her own pocket. When she tried to recover the money from Gurcharan Singh, he absconded.
Following investigation, the main accused Gurcharan Singh was arrested from Nawanshahr, Punjab on November 13 and sent to judicial custody. On November 25, co-accused Shahbaz alias Prajapati alias Gaurang (resident of Maharashtra), Aniket alias Rishi alias Kartik and Anshu Kumar (both from Munger, Bihar) were arrested from Paharganj, Delhi. The fifth accused Ajay Sethi alias Pankaj Sharma, resident of Ganaur, Sonipat, was arrested from Samalkha, Panipat on November 30. Accused Shahbaz is a former national-level boxer.
Investigations revealed that several victims were kept in a Mumbai hotel for nearly a month under false promises of being sent abroad. The four accused are currently on police remand till December 5.
Police further confirmed that the gang members frequently used fake identities and have a criminal history. Main accused Gurcharan Singh has six cases registered in Punjab, while Ajay Sethi has four criminal cases in Delhi and Sonipat. Shahbaz and Aniket are also facing cases in Sirsa district. All cases are related to immigration fraud. Further investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected.
ADGP Shivdas Kaviraj, Police Commissioner Panchkula and Chairman, Illegal Immigration Cases, Haryana, state that “Panchkula Police has zero tolerance for those who cheat youths in the name of foreign opportunities. This major bust reflects our team’s outstanding work. Protecting the hard-earned money and future of our youth remains our top priority, and strict action against such gangs will continue.”