Panchkula: The Panchkula police have busted a New Zealand work visa scam, arresting the mastermind Shailendra Kumar alias Shail along with two accomplices and seizing Rs 5 lakh in cash.
The complaint was lodged by a Panchkula resident, whose family was allegedly duped of Rs 15 lakh between May and June 2024. The accused promised to arrange a work visa for the complainant’s son to New Zealand but failed to deliver, despite repeated assurances.
An FIR was registered on May 27, 2025, under Sections 420, 406, 120-B, and 201 of the IPC, along with Section 24 of the Immigration Act, and the case was handed over to the Anti-Immigration Fraud Unit.
During the investigation, police first arrested Neeraj, a resident of Ambala district, on September 10, 2025, who revealed that the swindled money had been transferred to the account of the main accused.
The primary accused, Shailendra Kumar of Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on December 9, produced before court on December 10, and sent to five days of police custody. His bail plea had previously been rejected by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Authorities found that Shailendra had been running an unlicensed firm named “The Man Power” in Noida for the past five years, allegedly cheating people by promising overseas employment opportunities.
Police confirmed that the probe is ongoing to identify other victims and accomplices involved in the scam.
