US embassy files FIR against 2 Gujarat girls for forging education documents

AHMEDABAD: Two women applicants and a visa consultant from Mehsana allegedly tried to deceive the US embassy and immigration apparatus by forging education and income-related documents in an attempt to secure non-immigrant visas and fulfil their American dreams.
Eric Molitor, an overseas criminal investigator with the regional security office of the US embassy, on June 20 filed a complaint for visa fraud at Chanakyapuri police station in New Delhi against Neha Patel, 26, a resident of Dhanpura Katosan in Jotana taluka of Mehsana, Pinkal Patel, 24, a resident of Limdivaas in Kadi, Mehsana, and Chirag Patel, 29, a resident of Kubernagar Society on Detroj Road in Kadi
The FIR states that Neha had applied to the US embassy in Delhi for a non-immigrant visa.In her application, she claimed to have attended a local science and arts college from 2015 to 2018 and earned a BA degree. She presented college transcripts to support the claim, added the FIR.
‘Agent took Rs 2L for documents, Rs 10L for non-immigrant visa’
She also submitted bank statements and certificates showing her father’s bank balance as Rs 52.20 lakh and records showing work experience with a pharmaceutical company, the FIR states.
On June 20, at her interview in US embassy, she was questioned and ultimately admitted that her education and bank documents were forged.
She told US embassy officials that two visa agents from Mehsana — Chirag Patel and Mihir Patel — had given her the forged documents, for which she had paid Rs 1.50 lakh. She was supposed to pay Rs 24.50 lakh to the two visa agents, the FIR states.
Similarly, Pinkal Patel, in her interview on the same day, also furnished forged documents such as bank statements showing her father’s bank balance to be Rs 51.13 lakh. During the interview, she admitted that her father did not own the bank account shown in the application.
Pinkal also said that Chirag had given her the forged documents for Rs 2 lakh. She was supposed to pay him Rs 10 lakh more after getting the non-immigrant visa.
Sources in the police said Chirag’s brother, Chintan, is settled in the US and has allegedly been helping Chirag and Mihir run a visa consultancy firm and send people to the US illegally.
“Based on our knowledge of the circumstances and experience and training in document fraud investigations, we have reasonable and probable cause to believe that Neha and Pinkal conspired with Chirag Patel, Chintan Patel and Mihir Patel and other unknown persons to provide fraudulent information on their visa applications regarding work, education and purpose of travel, to cheat the US embassy in India and the US government to obtain a visa based on such fraudulent claims and misrepresentations,” the FIR states.
Chanakyapuri police registered a case of cheating, forgery for the purpose of cheating, using as genuine a forged document and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and began an investigation.
Sources privy to the developments said the agent had put money into the bank accounts that were shown as belonging to the women’s fathers. Scrutiny of the documents had revealed that they were forged.