NEW DELHI, May 17 -- The Cyber Cell of Delhi Police's Crime Branch has arrested an alleged immigration consultant for allegedly cheating a woman on the false promise of securing Canadian immigration through a business investment programme.

Police said they were alerted to the matter through a complaint registered at the Cyber Police Station of the Crime Branch. The accused, identified as Dharminder Sharma, was arrested in connection with an FIR lodged under Sections 420, 409 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code.

According to investigators, Sharma allegedly duped the complainant of around CAD 2,95,000 after claiming he could facilitate her immigration to Canada in the aftermath of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she was seeking better employment opportunities abroad.

Police said Sharma introduced himself as the Director (Operations) of an immigration consultancy firm and portrayed himself as an expert in Canadian immigration and overseas investment programmes.

The complainant was allegedly persuaded to invest CAD 2,50,000 in a purported business investment scheme and pay an additional CAD 45,000 as professional fees. In return, Sharma allegedly promised Canadian immigration, work permits and business ownership rights. During the investigation, police found that Sharma had allegedly prepared documents falsely showing that the complainant would become a director and shareholder in a Canada-based hospitality company. However, officials said the probe revealed that her name never appeared in the company's incorporation records and that ownership remained with other individuals.

Investigators further alleged that after receiving the money in foreign bank accounts, Sharma siphoned off the funds through cash withdrawals, debit transactions and transfers across multiple accounts instead of using them for legitimate business purposes.

Police alleged that even after Canadian authorities rejected the complainant's visa applications three times, the accused continued to mislead her to delay repayment. A laptop containing alleged digital evidence, including emails, financial records and immigration documents, was recovered. The investigation was conducted by a team led by Inspector Vinay Kumar.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.