Man, son booked in Rs 5.4L visa fraud case

Surat: Rander police on Saturday booked a man and his son, both clerics, for allegedly cheating three people in a Canada visa fraud. The accused collected Rs 5.4 lakh from the victims and fled. Rander police were investigating whether the duo cheated more victims.According to a complaint filed by Afsanabanu Patel, her husband, Mohammad Zuber Patel, was looking for someone who could help him obtain a Canada visa. In June 2023, Afsanabanu's neighbour, Saffan Hasrod, referred them to his relatives, Maulana Zaid Saeed Mulla and his son Maulana Saeed Yakub Mulla. Both were residents of Kathor village in Kamrej.In July, Afsanabanu gave a cheque for Rs 1.8 lakh to the father-son duo. When Mohammad's friend, Ajju Lala, came to know about this deal, he also expressed his desire to send his two relatives, including a woman, to Canada. After the father-son duo agreed to send them to Canada, Lala sent a cheque for Rs 3.6 lakh for two people in Dec 2023. The duo assured them that they would return the money if the visa was not sanctioned.In Feb 2024, the visas for all three were rejected. When they asked for their money back, the accused told them that they would get their visas sanctioned in another three months. But they did not get the visas after three months. When Afsanabanu went to Kathor village to find the accused, she found that the father-son duo had left their home.On Saturday, Rander police booked the duo for cheating.