Mumbai: Couple duped out of Rs 27 lakh over job in UK, visa; woman held

Mumbai, Nov 19 (PTI) A woman has been arrested in Mumbai after she and a man allegedly cheated a couple of Rs 27 lakh under the pretext of helping them with a job in London and visas to the United Kingdom, police have said.

The arrest of the accused, identified as Akanksha Rajendra Tiwari, may help the police uncover more such cases, an official said on Tuesday. Police are also looking for another accused in the case.

In his complaint to the Kandivali police, Vikas Vidur Kumar Khativeda, an engineering consultant, said his wife Monika Dahal wanted to work in London. While searching for agencies in Mumbai offering job-plus-visa services, she came across a private company on social media.

The company had posted several stories claiming to offer jobs as well as visa services for the UK, Canada, Australia, Europe, and other countries. Dahal contacted the number provided and was introduced to the accused Akanksha Tiwari, said the official.

Citing the FIR, the official said the couple met Tiwari in an office in Raghuleela Mall, Kandivali. Based on the instructions of Tiwari and one Rohit Songara, who claimed to be the company owner, they paid Rs 27 lakh between June 2024 and May this year, he said.

However, even after repeated promises, neither the work visa for Dahal nor the dependent visa for her husband was provided. Both accused subsequently began avoiding them.

Soon after, the couple found out that the Kandivali office of the company was shut and that it had moved to the Malad area, but the accused were not found there either.

Realising that they had been cheated, the husband filed a complaint with the Kandivali police, the official said.

Police registered a case against Tiwari and Songara and subsequently arrested the woman, the official said, adding efforts are being made to nab the other accused. PTI ZA NR