The BKC police have recently registered two separate cases of visa fraud where two chefs were duped after being promised jobs in the United States. The candidates came from Kerala and Chennai to the US consulate general at BKC where both were informed that the offer letter given to them by their respective agents was fake and hence their visas could not be processed. The consulate authorities then approached the Mumbai police.

“It appears that a gang has been operating in south India and duping aspirants by using their documents to make genuine visa applications and then sending them to the consulate general at BKC to get their biometrics done,” an officer said.  The first case, involving 33-year-old Aalphin Rafik, was registered on March 21 after the consulate reached out to the police. Aalphin obtained his hotel management degree from the International Institute of Hotel Management in Bangalore in 2019 and has worked with various Indian hotels. In 2020, he applied for a passport to go abroad.