Chandigarh Police have arrested two inter-state fraudsters involved in a Rs78 lakh international immigration scam that duped multiple victims with fake travel arrangements to Greece.
The arrests were made by a team from Sector-34 Police Station, led by Sub-Inspector Suresh Kumar. The first accused, Harmeet Singh alias Titu Chand (42), was nabbed from Kapurthala, Punjab. His interrogation led to the capture of his associate, Arjit Kumar alias Tony (58), a resident of Rani Bagh, Delhi.
According to police, the duo issued forged visas and dummy flight tickets under the pretense of operating a legitimate travel agency named “Guru Tour and Travel,” located in Sector 34-A, Chandigarh.
The case was triggered by a complaint from Manjeet Singh of Kaithal, Haryana. In August 2022, Harmeet allegedly approached Manjeet and offered immigration services to Greece for him and his family members, charging Rs10 lakh per person plus embassy fees.
The victims paid a total of Rs78 lakh via bank transfers to accounts held by Harmeet, Arjit, Anurag Malha, and Tajinder Singh, in addition to Rs20 lakh in cash and Rs5 lakh for “embassy processing.”
However, on September 19, 2022, their travel plans collapsed when immigration officials at the airport identified the visas as fake. Attempts to reach the accused failed, and the travel agency’s Chandigarh office had been vacated.
The complainants received only ₹50,000 in refund, and further attempts to retrieve funds were met with threats. In one recorded phone call, Harmeet allegedly threatened to physically assault Manjeet for asking for his money back.
Investigations revealed that both accused are habitual offenders. Arjit Kumar has a notorious criminal history, including involvement in fabricating fake passports for suspects in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, such as Anmol Bishnoi and Sachin Thapan. He has been charged in at least eight cases involving forgery, cheating, and Arms Act violations.
Harmeet Singh has been booked in five previous cases related to forgery, fake travel documents, and violations of emigration and travel regulations. He is known for producing high-quality counterfeit documents, including Aadhaar cards, passports, voter IDs, and educational certificates, with a well-organized network across states.
Chandigarh Police have registered a case and stated that further investigation is ongoing to identify additional victims and accomplices.
