New Delhi, May 17 : The cyber cell of Delhi Police Crime Branch has made a significant breakthrough in visa fraud case by arresting an accused for allegedly cheating a woman of approximately Rs 1.83 crore on false pretext of securing immigration to Canada through a business investment programme, officials said on Sunday.

According to the official statement, after the first Covid-19 wave the complainant intended to migrate to Canada for employment opportunities and came in contact with the accused who has been identified as Dharminder Sharma.

Sharma introduced himself to the woman as Director (Operations) of an immigration consultancy firm. Projecting himself as an expert in Canadian immigration and overseas investment programmes, he induced the complainant to invest CAD 2,50,000 in a purported business investment scheme and additionally obtained CAD 45,000 as professional fees, totaling CAD 2,95,000.

The accused allegedly assured the complainant that the investment would secure Canadian immigration, work permits and business ownership rights.

Further, to gain the complainantâ??s confidence, accused Sharma, allegedly created documents showing that the complainant would become a Director or shareholder in a hospitality firm in Canada. However, investigation revealed that the complainant was never inducted as a shareholder or director of the company and the ownership remained with other people.

Moreover, police said that after receiving the funds in foreign bank accounts, Sharma allegedly siphoned off the money through cash withdrawals, debit transactions and routing through multiple accounts instead of utilizing it for legitimate business purposes.

Despite repeated rejection of visa applications by Canadian authorities, the accused allegedly continued to mislead the complainant by giving false assurances, filing reconsideration requests and prolonging the process to avoid refund of the invested amount.

Further investigation also found that the accused played an active role in structuring the entire transaction and misleading the complainant even after three visa rejections. Officials revealed that the complainantâ??s name never appeared in the incorporation documents of the hospitality firm, contrary to the representations made by the accused.

A resident of Punjab's Dera Bassi, the accused is an MBA and allegedly projected himself as a highly qualified immigration and overseas investment consultant dealing in Canada-based immigration programs. One laptop used in the conduct of the offence has been recovered from Dharminder Sharma.

Police suspect that the device contains crucial digital evidence including emails, financial transaction records, immigration-related documents, Social Media chats and other incriminating material related to the case.

/IANS