Police to seek blacklisting of Healthyway

 UT SSP to write to HS to take up matter with Ministry of Home Affairs

Chandigarh, August 21
Following large-scale frauds being committed by operators of Healthyway Immigration, the UT Police is all set to seek the blacklisting of the firm. For the purpose, the police will write to the UT Home Secretary, requesting him to take up the matter with the authorities concerned, especially the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The immigration firm is in the dock for duping scores of clients across the region on fake promises of sending them abroad. The prime accused, Amit Kakkar, was remanded to another two days’ police custody today and raids were on to arrest Kuldeep Singh, who is the mastermind behind the fraud.
UT SSP Naunihal Singh said the decision to seek the cancellation of the licence of the firm was taken after it came to light that certain agents of the company were still active in various cities of Punjab and were accepting applications for visa processing.
“It is a huge racket affecting hundreds of residents. The agents are still accepting forms raking in huge amounts of money. We will be writing to the UT Home Secretary to take up the matter with the MHA to blacklist the firm,” said Naunihal Singh.

‘Embassies being taken for a ride’

Besides forging bank documents, operators of Healthyway Immigration also deposited huge amounts in banks of their clients to enable documentation process while applying for a visa. The amounts were deposited to open fixed deposits and then arrange loan letters for the applicants applying for a student visa. Once the applications were sent to the embassy with the genuine bank documents, the agents used to withdraw all money they deposited with the banks. As a result, the embassies were taken for a ride in the absence of regular checks from the banks, the police said.
“It was all well managed and the modus operandi is such that even the embassies were not able to detect the crimes. The agents used to deposit the amounts with the banks, procure loan against a fixed deposit and then apply for visa,” said the police.
Police officials said hundreds of such visa applications processed by Healthyway were pending with the Canadian Embassy.
“To avoid such frauds, the embassies need to confirm from the banks whether the loan is in debit or credit as well as the nature of loan,” said an investigating officer.

4 more cases against immigration company

The police has registered four more cases against Deepak Arora, who runs an immigration company, on a charge of cheating.
Chetan Singh of Ropar district had complained to the police that Deepak Arora had struck a deal with him for sending him to Switzerland for Rs 1.20 lakh. He had given Rs 60,000 to Arora, but he was neither sent abroad nor was the amount returned to him.
In another complaint, Jagpal Singh of Chandigarh had stated that he had given Rs 2.50 lakh to Arora and Dheeraj Kumar for sending his son, Parminder Singh, to Switzerland. But he was not sent abroad and nor was the amount paid back to him.
The general manager of a Malout-based company, Bharat Bhushan, had complained to the SSP that he had given Rs 2.36 lakh to Arora for sending eight persons abroad. However, nothing was done and neither was the money given back to him.
In another case Harchand Singh of Bains village had complained that he had given Rs 1.20 lakh to the company for sending his son Pardeep Singh abroad. But neither was he sent and nor was the amount returned.
The police has registered cases under Sections 406 and 420 of the IPC and Section 24 of the Immigration Act in this regard.