Punjab: Fraud of ₹1.40 Crore on Pretext of US Permanent Residency; FIR Registered Against 6 Travel Agents

May 12, 2026

A sensational case of fraud has come to light in Ludhiana, where a family residing in the Nai Abadi Akalgarh market area of ​​the town of Sudhar was swindled out of ₹1.40 crore under the false promise of securing permanent residency in the United States. Following a lengthy investigation, the police at Sudhar Police Station have registered a case against a total of six accused individuals—including a bank manager and several travel agents—under serious sections of the Indian Penal Code about fraud, as well as relevant sections of the Immigration Act.

Who Are the Accused?
This entire nexus involves a husband and wife, a father-in-law and brother-in-law, and a bank manager. The accused individuals are Simran Kaur (wife of Bikram Singh), Bikram Singh (Simran’s husband), Kulbir Singh (Simran’s father/Bikram’s father-in-law), Amanjot Singh (Simran’s brother), Agamjit Singh (a resident of Chamkaur Sahib, Rupnagar)—who operates a travel agency named ‘Platinum Institutes’—and Sahil, a manager at the HDFC Bank branch located in Sector 9, Chandigarh.

How ​​Was the Fraudulent Conspiracy Hatched?

In his complaint lodged with the police, the victim, Karamjit Singh, stated that he met Simran Kaur and the other accused individuals in September 2024. Karamjit, along with his wife Ravinder Kaur and their two sons (Ranbir Singh and Ishbir Singh), wished to migrate to the United States and settle there. The accused entered into an agreement to procure US Permanent Residency (PR) for the family at a rate of ₹35 lakh per person, totaling ₹1.40 crore. Subsequently, on September 11, 2024, the accused visited the victim’s home and collected ₹5 lakh as an advance payment. By January 2025, the victim had handed over ₹81 lakh in cash and transferred the remaining amount to the accused via bank accounts.

The Ruse of Fake Passports and Visas
According to Karamjit Singh, at the time the agreement was signed, only his own passport was valid. His wife’s and one son’s passports had already expired, while the other son did not possess a passport at all. Taking full responsibility for the process, the accused collected the documents from all family members. Some time later, the accused displayed the passports and US visas for all four family members to the victim during a video call. When Karamjit, harboring suspicions, conducted an independent inquiry on his own, he discovered that the passports shown to him purportedly belonging to his wife and two sons—along with all the associated visas, were completely forged.

Death Threats Received Upon Demanding Repayment
When the victim realized he had been defrauded and demanded the return of his money, the accused began to stall and evade the issue. As the pressure mounted, the accused issued checks totaling ₹49 lakh; however, these subsequently bounced at the bank. Furthermore, the accused fabricated bogus bank statements falsely indicating the deposit of Demand Drafts (DDs) worth ₹62 lakh and a cash deposit of ₹29 lakh into the account, yet in reality, not a single rupee was ever returned. When the victim’s family persisted in demanding their money back, the accused began issuing death threats against them.

Family Drowns in Debt; Appeals to CM for Help
Weeping inconsolably, Karamjit Singh recounted how, to fund this endeavor, he had mortgaged all the gold ornaments in his home, borrowed lakhs of rupees from relatives, and invested his entire life savings. The situation today is so dire that the family is struggling even to afford their daily meals. He has made an impassioned appeal for justice to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav.