Vadodara Man Duped of ₹4.25 Lakh by Fake Job Consultant Promising Canadian Visa

November 5, 2025

Vadodara: A woman posing as an overseas job consultant allegedly duped a resident of Vadodara’s Chhani area of ₹4.25 lakh on the pretext of securing him a job and visa in Canada. The accused later switched off her phone and went into hiding, police said.

According to the FIR registered at Chhani Police Station, the victim, Rajesh Kumar Bapuji Patel, a resident of Yoginagar Township near Rama Kaka Dairy, was looking for job opportunities abroad after being unable to find suitable employment locally.

Fraudulent ‘Consultancy’ Promised Work Visa and Job

On March 26, Patel reportedly received a call from a woman identifying herself as Preeti Chauhan from Blue Tech Visa Consultancy.

“She offered assistance in obtaining a Canadian work visa and assured him that payment could be made later and deducted from his salary after reaching Canada,” an investigating official said.

Patel shared his personal documents and soon received a call from an international number for a supposed “interview.” Chauhan later informed him that he had been selected and demanded payments under multiple pretexts, including document verification, embassy fees, bank account setup, biometrics, and flight booking.

Patel transferred ₹4.25 lakh in total before the accused stopped responding and switched off her phone.

Four Accused Booked, Police Investigation Underway

Police have registered a case against Preeti Chauhan, Prachi Rajput, Mastan Singh, and Yasin, and launched an investigation into the matter.

Officials noted that such visa scams have been rising sharply in Gujarat, with fraud cases increasing by over 113 per cent in three years.

Visa Scams on the Rise in Gujarat

Police data shows that between 2020–21 and 2022–23, Gujarat recorded 139 complaints of visa fraud, involving losses of nearly ₹74 lakh, of which only about ₹41 lakh has been recovered so far.

Vadodara and Ahmedabad have emerged as hotspots, with 31 and 26 cases respectively during the same period.

These scams typically revolve around fake promises of jobs and immigration to Canada, the US, or Australia, forged documents, and bogus interviews. Victims are lured with guarantees of employment or visa approval, made to pay hefty “processing” or “biometric” fees — and the fraudsters disappear once payments are made.