Three U.S. nationals were in for a shock when they arrived at the immigration counter of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on September 18. When they showed their Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), they were told that no such e-travel visas (e-TVs) were issued and they had been fooled.
Vamsi Krishna Boddu, Radhika Boddu and their son Nikhil Vamsi Boddu were allegedly duped by a fake website www.indianevisaonline.org which sent e-TVS to their email ids. The authorities found no record of any issuance in the system. “Their passports were also checked but no visa was issued in their name,” said a senior police officer.
Victims paid $700 each
It was found that the victims were cheated by the website which looks similar to that of the Indian government’s website and is allegedly issuing e-TVs charging a hefty sum. The victims had paid $700 each, the police said.
When the U.S. nationals were questioned, they told the police that they had received the document through email. The website guaranteed Indian e-TVs within hours of application and payment of the said amount.
“The website claims to send the visa after filling the necessary application forms online after which the e-TV is received in the central Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration & Tracking (IVFRT) office and later after verification, sent to the applicant via email,” said the officer.
When the applicant would reach the designated airport in India, they can produce the ETA with granted status to the immigration officer and get clearance, the website allegedly claimed. However, when the police did preliminary investigation, the website was found to be fake.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs has not authorised any agency/agent/company/individual to issue e-TVs to foreign nationals,” said the officer.
Case registered
Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) Sanjay Bhatia said, “A case under Section 420 (cheating) has been registered and the police are investigating the matter. We have received two similar complaints this year and we are tracing the login ID and IP address of the website to trace the culprits”. Mr. Bhatia said the victims were not deported and allowed in the country after necessary verification.
