Rs 6.28 crore fraud case : Couple held for flouting bail norm, travelling abroad after claiming surrendered passports ‘missing’

A case of cheating was registered against them at the Rajkot Taluka police station, but the couple got anticipatory bail from Gujarat High Court on the condition that they would not leave the country without permission and surrender their passports to the local police station.

Their cover was busted when a lawyer, Ashok Koyani, who was a victim of their fraud in Rajkot, learnt that the Pambhars had travelled to Dubai and other countries following which he informed the Gujarat HC and also gave an application to the Rajkot Taluka police station on the violation of the bail condition.

The Rajkot police, on finding their passports still in their custody, launched an investigation and found that the couple had registered  complaints of their passports “missing” at the Dindoli police station in Surat. On the basis of this FIR, the couple obtained new, fresh passports in their names from the Surat passport office.

Surat Assistant Commissioner of Police N P Gohil told The Indian Express that the Surat police seized their new passports on which they travelled abroad.

Police booked the two under BNS 212 (Furnishing False Information), 217(b) (Providing False information to a public servant with the intent to cause them to use their lawful power to injure or annoy another person), 318(4)(Cheating),336(3) (forgery), 338 (forgery of valuable security, wills etc.), 340(2)(Fraudulent or dishonest use of forged documents as genuine one),  and The Passport Act 1967 section 12(1-b) and the Immigration and foreigners Act 2025 section 22.

Acting on the complaint, Dindoli police arrested the couple from their residence in Mota Varachha on Thursday. The couple was produced before the court by Dindoli police and sent to police custody for two days.

Dindoli police inspector P L Vaghela said, “We have registered an offence against the accused couple for giving false information to the police and obtaining FIR in relation to the lost of passports. We will try to find out who else is involved in the racket and how they got new, fresh passports.”