New Zealand Work Visa Scam: Four Accused Booked For Allegedly Duping Applicants Of ₹81.95 Lakh

The CID Crime, Ahmedabad Zone, has registered a case against four people accused of collecting ₹81.95 lakh from multiple applicants on the promise of securing New Zealand work visas and jobs.

The accused have been identified as Vaibhav Dineshkumar Prajapati and Akhil Subhashbhai Chatur of Ahmedabad, Oish Ali Akbar Ali Hasanwala of Banaskantha, and Ahmed Aflak of New Delhi. The case was registered following a complaint by 44-year-old Vipulbhai Navinchandra Prajapati of Kalol in Gandhinagar district.

Facebook Advertisement Promised ₹2.5 Lakh Monthly Salary

According to the complaint, Vipul came across a Facebook advertisement in October 2023 offering a three-year New Zealand work permit with a monthly salary of around ₹2.5 lakh.

He contacted Vaibhav through the number mentioned in the advertisement. Vaibhav allegedly met him at an office in World Trade Tower on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway and claimed to arrange work, student and visitor visas for New Zealand, Australia, Canada and European countries.

He allegedly assured Vipul that a New Zealand work permit would be arranged within three to four months.

Applicants Paid More Than ₹21 Lakh

Vipul later introduced his brother-in-law to Vaibhav, who allegedly made the same promise to him. The two were asked to submit passports and educational certificates and pay registration charges.

Separate memoranda of understanding were subsequently signed, with the total fee for each applicant fixed at around ₹11.10 lakh.

The applicants were allegedly told that they would undergo a company assessment before receiving a job offer. When Vipul said he did not have an experience certificate, Vaibhav allegedly told him that an experience letter could be arranged according to the requirements of the prospective employer.

Zoom Interview Followed By Alleged Fake Documents

On December 6, 2023, Vipul allegedly appeared for an interview in English through a Zoom video call.

He was later shown documents purportedly to be a New Zealand company’s job offer letter and a visa. According to the complaint, these documents were forged and were allegedly used to convince applicants that the promised employment and work permits were genuine.

Vipul and his brother-in-law allegedly paid ₹21.20 lakh to the accused through cash and bank transactions.

₹81.95 Lakh Collected From Multiple Applicants

Police said other applicants who are witnesses in the case allegedly paid another ₹60.75 lakh, taking the total amount collected to ₹81.95 lakh.

Of this amount, around ₹11.40 lakh was allegedly returned, leaving approximately ₹70.55 lakh unpaid.

The complainant alleged that despite repeated assurances, the promised New Zealand work permits were never processed and the outstanding money was not returned.

CID Crime Begins Investigation

The CID Crime has registered the case and begun further action. Investigators will examine the financial transactions, documents shown to the applicants and the alleged involvement of all four accused.

Further action will be taken based on the evidence gathered during the investigation.