A man from Haryana was allegedly cheated of more than Rs 20 lakh by fraudsters who promised to provide him a US visa to travel from Delhi to New York. Police have registered an FIR and launched an investigation.
Pradeep Singh, a resident of Hisar, Haryana, filed a complaint stating that he was contacted by a person identifying himself as Rahul Jain through Instagram in July 2025. The accused claimed he would apply for a visa and ensure Singh could legally travel to New York directly from Delhi. Singh met Jain in person at an office in Indirapuram and paid an initial amount.
Jain informed Singh that he would obtain an electronic visa but later said it was a paper visa based on TRC and TRP. He delivered the visa within two days. Subsequently, Jain demanded Rs 5,50,000 for a business-class ticket, which Singh paid, but the ticket was never provided. Jain then demanded Rs 6,00,000 for a UI Forex Card, claiming the amount would be confirmed via email. Singh paid this as well.
A few days later, Jain demanded an additional Rs 7 lakh, stating the earlier amount was insufficient for the card application. Singh complied. Jain then demanded another Rs 1,86,000 for multi-stage calculations related to US travel, which Singh also paid. However, Jain only sent a photo of the card but never delivered the physical card.
In total, Singh paid Rs 20.5 lakh, including Rs 8 lakh in cash, between July and November 2025. When Singh requested a refund, Jain promised completion within a week but later stopped responding. All phone numbers provided by Jain were switched off.
Singh realized he had been targeted by an illegal gang that advertised through newspapers and Instagram. He discovered that Rahul Jain had been arrested by Kurukshetra police in 2024 for fraud and again by Karnal police on similar charges.
An FIR has been registered against four accused under BNS Section 316 (2) at Indirapuram police station. Teams have been formed to investigate, and cyber police are checking the accused's social media accounts, said ACP Abhishek Srivastava.
For context, obtaining a US tourist visa through legitimate channels costs less than Rs 50,000 on average.
