Surat: Two brothers from Akalacha, Khoda, Gujarat, allegedly cheated a young man living in Dindoli area of Surat by offering to help him obtain a New Zealand airline ticket and extorted Rs 4.92 lakh from him.

According to reports, Sandeep Kumar Patil, 37, residing in Dindoli area of Surat, had planned to work in New Zealand in 2019. He gave Rs 2 lakh and necessary documents to Bhavikaben Prajapati in a company named RV Consultancy located in Adajan area of the city and obtained an e-Visa. Bhavikaben entrusted the responsibility of sending Sandeep Kumar and others abroad to a person named Joy Dahyabhai Khristi, a resident of Aklacha village of Kheda. However, after Joy took all the documents, Bhavikaben returned Rs 2 lakh when all the flights were canceled due to Corona in 2020, and Sandeep Kumar did not get the ticket to New Zealand.

In 2022, Joy informed Sandeep Kumar that he had a visa and could book a ticket to New Zealand for him. Initially, he demanded Rs 5.50 lakh but later agreed to Rs 5 lakh. Sandeep Kumar transferred Rs 4,91,895 into various accounts of Joy and his brother Jaykar Mahida. Joy provided Sandeep Kumar with a Mumbai-Oakland ticket for October 27, 2022, but it turned out to be fake. Joy then promised another ticket and provided a ticket for Ahmedabad-New Zealand via Doha for January 21, 2023, but Sandeep Kumar did not travel on that ticket either. Joy then gave a ticket from Mumbai to Auckland via Hong Kong to Sandeep Kumar, asking him to accompany him from Ahmedabad. However, Joy later postponed the plan, citing illness, and promised to provide the fourth ticket later.

Sandeep Kumar went to Joy's village to retrieve his money, where he was told that they would return the money by selling land. When he did not receive the money, Sandeep Kumar lodged a complaint at Dindoli police station in Surat. The police have registered a case of fraud against both brothers and started an investigation.

Joy had previously defrauded Pritesh Maroodkar, a resident of Maninagar, Ahmedabad, of Rs 2.20 lakh on the pretext of sending him abroad. When Pritesh demanded his money back, Joy got the money transferred to his accounts from Sandeep Kumar. Pritesh was indirectly involved in the scandal and had to present his explanation at Dindoli police station.