Panchkula police bust New Zealand work visa scam, mastermind among three arrested, Rs 5 lakh seized

The DCP said that based on the complaint, an FIR was registered on May 27, 2025, under sections 420, 406, 120-B and 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with section 24 of the Immigration Act, and the investigation was handed over to the Anti-Immigration Fraud Unit.

During the probe, police first arrested Neeraj, a resident of Ambala district, on September 10. He was produced before the court on September 11 and was sent to four days of police remand. “During the questioning, Neeraj disclosed that the swindled amount had been transferred to the account of the main accused, Shailendra Kumar, alias Shail,” the DCP said.

Later, police arrested Shailendra, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, on December 9. He was produced before the court on December 10 and sent to five days of police custody.

Police said the Punjab and Haryana High Court had already dismissed his bail plea.

“Further investigation revealed that the accused had been running an unlicensed firm named ‘The Man Power’ in Noida for the past five years, and was cheating people by luring them on the pretext of overseas employment,” the DCP said.

Further probe led police to another accused, Saddam Hussain Ansari, in whose account part of the defrauded amount was transferred, the DCP said.

“A police team conducted a raid in West Bengal and arrested him on December 12. He was produced before the court on December 14 and sent to seven days of police remand, during which Rs 5 lakh in cash was recovered from his possession,” the officer said.

After questioning, Shailendra was sent to judicial custody.

The DCP said, “The investigation is still underway as the involvement of other accused has also come to light. They will be arrested soon.”