In a decisive action on Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate reportedly conducted raids on three visa consultant firms located in Ludhiana and Chandigarh. These raids were a part of the ongoing probe into the money laundering case, which was linked to alleged fraudulent immigration services. These firms targeted individuals who wished to go to the United States, a report by PTI stated.
The actions follow FIRs filed by the Punjab and Delhi Police who were alerted by the Overseas Criminal Investigations office of the US Embassy in Delhi. The complaint mentioned that ‘fraudulent activities’ were carried out by firms like Easy Visa Education Consultant Pvt. Ltd, and a few others. The accused individuals were identified as Amit Kakkar, Swati Kakkar, Ravi Kakkar, Shivang Sharma and Robin Talwar, according to TVN.
According to a statement by the Federal Agency, a search operation was conducted on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at five business and residential locations in Ludhiana and Chandigarh. These locations reportedly included two companies and a third firm. During the raid, the officials seized Rs 19 lakh in cash, incriminating documents, and digital devices.
According to reports, the ED uncovered that the accused firms transferred funds to the account of ineligible visa applicants to show a ‘minimum’ account balance required for visa application. Additionally, they found that these companies ‘wrongfully’ helped the applicants to appear eligible for the US Visa and manipulated their facts and circumstances. The accused charged hefty commission in return from the visa applicants, reports added.
The investigation revealed that the firms invested proceeds of crime from such illegal activities to purchase assets. These funds were moved from various bank accounts, agency said. The issue of illegal immigration has recently been in the news after US President Donald Trump deported many Indian citizens on US military planes back to the country.
