Thrissur: Kodakara police on Sunday arrested Abin George Abhilash Raj, a 38-year-old Thazhekad native, for cheating people by providing them with fake job visas. The accused reportedly collected around Rs 1 crore from 32 people, who were promised job visas to the European country Malta. Raj was running a firm named Abhilash Travels at Perambra under the jurisdiction of Kodakara police.
The police investigation revealed that six people who had collected fake visa documents from Raj were arrested at Zurich airport and deported to Kerala. Two more job aspirants who were caught with the same crime at Doha airport were also deported. The victims had contacted their relatives from Zurich and Doha when they were taken into custody for travelling with fake visas. The relatives immediately contacted the Kodakara police and the Thrissur rural district police chief Aishwarya Dongre IPS formed an investigation team, leading to the arrest of Raj.
“The accused was arrested by a team led by the Chalakudy DySP TS Sunoj from his hideout in Tamil Nadu,” said an officer who was part of the investigation team. The police have charged Raj with cheating, forgery, and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. He will be produced before the court.
“The public are urged to verify the authenticity of travel agents and firms before paying any money. They can contact the nearest police station or Indian embassy in case of any doubt or suspicion,” the officer added.
