A Vadodara resident filed a case against his nephew and cousin for allegedly extorting ₹2.7 crore in a fake Canadian visa scam. 

Darshan Patel alleged that he gave money to his nephew Dhruv on different occasions, first on the pretext of procuring a visitor visa, then for a work permit, and then for a business visa, as per reports.

The complainant claimed that he was handed a fake letter of work permit and an air ticket, which convinced him that his nephew was working towards securing a visa for him.

In his complaint to the police, Darshan stated that he had been residing in London on a student visa since 2009,  but returned to Vadodara in 2014 after it expired. 

After the Covid-19 pandemic, he met his cousin, Divyangi Patel, who informed him that her son, Dhruv, could assist him in obtaining a visitor visa for Canada. Darshan was assured that Dhruv, who was already settled in Canada, would also help him secure a job there.

Dhruv demanded money from Darshan for a visitor visa and later sought more funds to provide a work permit.

Dhruv sent a fake work permit letter and an air ticket to Darshan and asked for more money, saying that he would be required to get a business visa as there was a problem with securing the work permit.

When Darshan inquired with the airlines, he found out that the ticket that Dhruv had sent was fake.

Realising that he had been duped, he demanded his money back, but Dhruv stopped responding.

Darshan confronted Dhruv when he returned to Vadodara in June 2024, following his father's death. 

However, Dhruv claimed that he had no money to give to his uncle.  

Later, he proposed an agreement to transfer his Vadodara house to his uncle as a settlement for the amount owed. However, after waiting an additional eight months without receiving any money, Darshan finally approached the police and filed a complaint against his cousin and nephew.  

Following his complaint, the Vadodara Police registered a case against Divyangi Patel and Dhruv Patel under sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), 318(4) (cheating), 336(2) (making false documents), 336(3) (forgery to harm reputation), and 338 (forgery of valuable documents) of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita.