Husband-wife duo caught cheating 37 jobseekers with fake Canada work visas

Duo promised aspirants jobs in Canada; defrauded them of Rs 1.63 crore

Mumbai police arrest absconding couple for Rs 1.63 crore Canada job fraud

Hasmukh Shah and Rina Gaurav Shah. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

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Mumbai police arrest absconding couple for Rs 1.63 crore Canada job fraud

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In a classic Bunty-Babli-style con, the Borivli police have arrested an absconding husband-wife — Gaurav Hasmukh Shah, 42, and Rina Gaurav Shah, 40 — for cheating around 37 jobseekers by promising jobs and work visas in Canada. According to the police, the duo allegedly cheated victims of over Rs 1.63 crore before going underground after a case was registered at Malad police station last year. Acting on technical inputs, police tracked them down in Navsari, Gujarat, and brought them back to Mumbai this week. One accused who is also involved is still at large.

The case pertains to an alleged Canadian work visa and job fraud scheme in which a private visa consultancy firm cheated several jobseekers. Police said the accused were operating a firm named ‘The Visa Mansion’, also known as ‘The Visa Management Company’, from an office at Agarwal B2B Centre, Kachpada, Malad West, and promised Canadian work visas to jobseekers.

According to the police sources, the accused collected money from multiple victims on the assurance of arranging work visas for Canada. The complainant, Sarika Vishwanath Dharmamadhikari, alone paid Rs 7.16 lakh for visa processing last year, while other victims paid varying amounts, including R10,000 each in several cases. However, the accused neither secured the visas nor returned the money.

Police investigations revealed that a total of 37 victims were cheated, with the confirmed fraud amounting to R163,86,400. The case was registered at Malad police station under relevant IPC sections, but was later transferred to Borivli police by the Zonal DCP.

Further investigations are being conducted by Police Inspector Milind Nagpure under the supervision of the DCP (Zone XI) Sandeep Jadhav, ACP (Borivli Division) Santosh Dhanwate, and Senior PI Madhusudan Naik. Efforts are underway to trace the absconding accused — Rajul Kulshrestha, a resident of Vinay Unique Garden in Virar West — and to verify the total defrauded amount.

“They tried to secure bail, but the court rejected their bail plea, and the duo went absconding, hiding in Navsari, Gujarat. With permission from senior officers, a police team coordinated with Navsari Town Police, traced the accused, and arrested the couple on December 23,” said an officer from Borivli police station.

Case details

The complainant, Sarika Vishwanath Dharmamadhikari, a working professional residing in Malvani, Malad West, was looking for employment opportunities in Canada and came across an advertisement on Instagram for a firm named ‘The Visa Mansion’. She visited the office in May 2023 and was assured by the staff and owners that a Canadian work visa would be arranged for a total cost of R7 lakh. Based on repeated assurances, she transferred R7.16 lakh in instalments to the firm’s bank accounts between July 2023 and May 2024.

Despite repeated follow-ups, the accused failed to secure a work visa. In June 2024, Sarika discovered that the visa issued was only a visitor visa. When she visited the company’s office, it was found shut, and all contact numbers were switched off, confirming that she had been cheated.

Crime timeline

The alleged offences took place between May 2023 and June 29, 2024. The FIR was registered on July 7, 2024, at Malad police station under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Extent of fraud

During the investigation, police found that the accused had similarly cheated 36 other victims by promising Canadian work visas and collecting varying amounts ranging from Rs 10,000 to several lakhs. The confirmed cheating probe suggests the total defrauded amount may be as high as Rs 163,86,400.