A woman in Kurukshetra tragically died by suicide after allegedly being scammed by visa agents who promised to secure an Australian visa for her son, highlighting the devastating consequences of immigration fraud.
Key Points
- A woman in Kurukshetra died by suicide after allegedly being harassed and defrauded by visa agents.
- The family paid Rs 20 lakh to agents in Chandigarh who promised to secure an Australian visa for their son.
- The agents allegedly delayed the visa process, refused to return the money and documents, and threatened the family.
- Police have registered a case against the three accused visa agents and initiated an investigation into the alleged fraud and harassment.
A 44-year-old woman committed suicide allegedly over harassment by visa agents who took from her large sums of money on the promise of sending her son abroad, police said on Wednesday.
Malkit Kaur lived in a village near Kurukshetra and had been under severe stress after being cheated and threatened by agents based in Chandigarh, her family said.
According to a complaint filed by her husband, Balwinder Singh, the family had approached a visa consultancy firm in Chandigarh around four months ago to send their 21-year-old son overseas.
They reportedly met three agents -- Kajol, Ishita, and Aman -- who asked for Rs 25 lakh for arranging a visa to Australia.
The family paid Rs 20 lakh in advance - Rs 2 lakh through online transfer, Rs 18 lakh in cash - and was assured that the visa would be processed within a month, the complaint said.
The agents, however, delayed the process, extending the timeline while continuing to give assurances.
Later, they refused to return the money, the passport, and educational documents to the family, it added.
Balwinder Singh alleged that the agents threatened the family in a phone call on March 21.
The next day, Malkit Kaur ate some poisonous substance on March 22, he alleged.
She was admitted to a private hospital in Pehowa and later to another facility in Kurukshetra, where she died during treatment on Tuesday.
The police in Pehowa have registered a case against the three accused and initiated an investigation, Station House Officer Satish Kumar said.
The body was handed over to the family after the post-mortem.
