Kurukshetra police have registered a criminal case against three people, including a woman, for allegedly cheating a family of ₹12.50 lakh by falsely promising to send their son to Canada. The case has been filed at Ismailabad police station, and an investigation is currently underway.
According to the complaint, the victim, Darshan Lal, a resident of Thaska Road, Amir Chand Colony in Ismailabad, told police that he had been visiting a church in Dera Bassi’s Dhakoli village, Mohali district, for the past four years. During this time, he came in contact with Dhakoli residents Sukhwant Singh and his wife.
On May 10, 2023, the couple visited Darshan Lal’s home. When his son, Pawan Kumar, expressed a desire to go to Canada, Sukhwant Singh claimed that his associate, Jaipal, also a resident of Dhakoli, was involved in sending people abroad. A deal was allegedly finalised for ₹22 lakh after Sukhwant Singh connected the family with Jaipal.
The complainant stated that he initially paid ₹1 lakh in cash and handed over Pawan Kumar’s passport and other documents to the accused. Around ten days later, the family was introduced to Jaipal at the Dhakoli church, where the accused assured them of sending Pawan Kumar to Canada on a “number one” basis.
On May 25, 2023, ₹7.50 lakh was transferred from the bank account of the complainant’s daughter-in-law, Neha Rani, in the name of starting the immigration process. On August 2, 2023, Pawan Kumar was sent for a medical examination at a private hospital in Mohali, as directed by the accused.
The complainant alleged that the accused kept delaying the process until November 27, 2024, while extracting additional amounts on various pretexts. During this period, a total of ₹14.43 lakh was transferred to them. Later, the accused sent a Canada flight ticket but claimed the flight had been cancelled and demanded money for a new ticket. In March 2025, another ₹50,000 was allegedly taken for the same purpose.
On March 28, the accused sent a ticket and directed Pawan Kumar to reach Delhi airport. However, midway, he was told that the aircraft had developed a technical fault and was sent back. Subsequent verification revealed that the tickets were fake.
When the family demanded a refund of their money and documents, Jaipal allegedly refused and issued death threats. In June, a panchayat-level settlement was attempted, during which Jaipal reportedly agreed to return ₹11 lakh and Sukhwant Singh ₹5 lakh. However, Sukhwant Singh allegedly paid nothing. Jaipal returned ₹3.50 lakh in cash and issued two cheques worth ₹7.50 lakh in August and September, both of which were dishonoured.
Station House Officer Inspector Gurnam Singh confirmed that a case of cheating has been registered against Sukhwant Singh, his wife and Jaipal. The investigation is being conducted by ASI Rajender Kumar, and police teams are conducting raids to arrest the accused.
