Two booked for Rs 86.7 lakh in Australian visa fraud, Karnataka

(KARNATAKA, INDIA) Gangolli Police in coastal Karnataka have booked two people for allegedly cheating five residents of Kundapur and nearby areas out of Rs 86.7 lakh by promising Australian job visas, a case that highlights growing concerns about visa rackets targeting hopeful workers. The accused, identified as Prakruthi and Elton Rebiero, allegedly visited Gangolli in April 2024, assured a local woman they could secure her an Australian work visa, and then collected money from her and four acquaintances over several months before failing to deliver, according to police and local reports.

A First Information Report has been registered under Sections 316(2), 318(2), and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Investigators said the pair, who run a school in Bengaluru, are accused of luring the victims with promises tied to Australian job visas and collecting funds in instalments. As of November 2, 2025, they have been booked in this specific case but there is no report of arrests or recovery of funds here, police said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

According to the Times of India,

“Teena Nazareth, 43, of Gujjadi village, Kundapur, the accused Prakruthi and Elton Rebiero, who run a school in Bengaluru, visited Gangolli in April 2024. During their visit, they allegedly assured her that they would arrange a work visa for Australia.”

The report added detail on the payments made over the following months, saying,

“Believing their promise, Teena allegedly transferred Rs 34 lakh to the accused between April and Sept 5, 2024. The accused reportedly collected Rs 8 lakh from Johnson Fernandes, Rs 6.8 lakh from Leeta Pinto, Rs 19.5 lakh from Sophia Pinto, and Rs 18 lakh from Reena Praveen Noronha, known to the complainant, after offering them similar visa assurances.”

Police records and the complaint indicate the five victims are all known to the main complainant, Teena Nazareth, and that the transactions took place in instalments, with the last transfer recorded on Sept 5, 2024. Officers said the case was registered after the accused neither produced visas nor returned the money. The complaint lists precise payments: Rs 34 lakh from Teena Nazareth; Rs 8 lakh from Johnson Fernandes; Rs 6.8 lakh from Leeta Pinto; Rs 19.5 lakh from Sophia Pinto; and Rs 18 lakh from Reena Praveen Noronha, bringing the total to Rs 86.7 lakh.

The complaint alleges the scheme began when the accused traveled from Bengaluru to Gangolli in April 2024 and held out a pathway to Australian work authorization that would move quickly if the applicants paid fees and submitted documents, a familiar setup in recent visa fraud cases. Police say the pair’s school in Bengaluru was used as a point of contact to lend credibility, and the victims were urged to trust that the process for Australian job visas was “assured.”

Gangolli Police confirmed the FIR and the sections invoked under the BNS 2023, a recently overhauled criminal code that replaced older Indian Penal Code provisions. Sections 316(2), 318(2), and 318(4) cover cheating and related misconduct with heightened penalties for organized swindling and aggravated deception. Officers said statements have been recorded and evidence, including bank transfers and message trails, is being compiled to track the money and identify any additional victims. For now, police have not disclosed whether the accused used forged documents or simply stalled before breaking contact.

While the current case centers on five individuals linked to Gangolli, a related but separate case suggests the same or similarly named suspects may have operated on a broader scale. In Mangaluru, police arrested two people identified as Prakruthi U, 34, of Anekal taluk, Bengaluru, and Aldon Rebeiro, 42, of Gangolli, Kundapura, on allegations they cheated around 40 people in the Kavoor area of nearly Rs 1 crore by promising overseas jobs. Officers in that case said they recovered 24 passports and 43 grams of gold during the arrests. The names and spellings vary between the two cases—Elton/“Aldon” and Rebiero/Rebeiro—but the pattern described is similar: large payments collected on promises of quick work placements abroad and little to show for it once deadlines pass.

Police in Kundapur said the victims in the Gangolli complaint had all hoped to move to Australia for work by late 2024 and made payments in good faith as the accused cited processing steps and documentation costs. As the months passed without visa grants or job offers, the complainant pressed for refunds, but the money was not returned, according to the FIR. Officers said they are now coordinating with other coastal police stations to see if further complaints match the names, phone numbers, or bank accounts listed in the Gangolli file.

The case underscores how visa scams often cluster around the promise of swift overseas placements, particularly to Australia, which remains a popular destination for Indian workers and students. Demand for Australian job visas has grown sharply across coastal Karnataka and Bengaluru’s suburbs, and police say fraudsters exploit the lack of clear information among applicants, who may not understand that work visas typically require formal sponsorship from an approved employer, skills assessments, and official departmental decisions—not private “assurances” in exchange for large upfront payments.

Victims in the Gangolli case include people in their 40s who, according to the complaint, believed they were close to departure once they paid. The payments ranged from Rs 6.8 lakh to Rs 34 lakh, often made over multiple transfers. Police say the amounts and timing in the ledger align with the pattern of “processing fees” and “document costs” seen in other cheating cases. In interviews around Kundapur, families described how such sums are raised—by selling small plots, pawning jewelry, or borrowing at steep interest—leaving borrowers with heavy debts if the job and visa never materialize.

Investigators said they are checking whether the accused used the Bengaluru school for meetings or just as a reference point to calm doubts. Officers also cautioned that victims sometimes hesitate to file complaints because they worry about losing both their money and their chance of moving abroad; by the time they come forward, money has often moved across accounts, making recovery harder. In the related Mangaluru arrests, the seizure of 24 passports suggested the suspects were collecting original travel documents, a step police say is a red flag when tied to cash demands and vague job promises.

The Gangolli FIR cites Australian work visas specifically, not student or visitor routes, and notes that none of the complainant group received visa confirmations. Police did not specify which subclass numbers were mentioned by the accused or whether any application files were actually submitted. Officers say they will seek bank records and call data to map the flow of funds and the suspects’ movements after April 2024. If evidence links the Gangolli complaint with the Kavoor-area case, investigators could move to combine aspects of the probe or share evidence under the BNS framework.

Fraud linked to Australian job visas has prompted repeated warnings from both Indian authorities and the Australian government, which urges applicants to verify recruiters and avoid unregistered agents. The Department of Home Affairs advises people to rely on official channels, and to check whether a migration adviser is registered and whether an offer requires fees before any decision is made. Official guidance on avoiding scams is published by the Australian government at the Home Affairs advice on avoiding visa scams. Police in coastal Karnataka say that simple steps—such as demanding formal job offer letters on company letterhead, refusing to hand over original passports before a legitimate visa decision, and confirming visa grant notices through official portals—can make a difference.

In the Gangolli complaint, the timeline is tight and clearly documented: an April 2024 visit by the accused; transfers through to Sept 5, 2024; and no visas or refunds by late 2024, prompting the FIR. The total figure of Rs 86.7 lakh places the case among the larger cheating complaints filed in the region this year, though the alleged Kavoor-area scheme surpasses it in the number of victims and the size of losses. Police said both files will be tested against BNS 2023 provisions designed to address financial harm, organized planning, and repeated acts of deception.

For now, Gangolli Police are focused on tracing the accused, confirming their roles, and securing any assets that can be frozen. Officers said they will also contact the five named victims—Teena Nazareth, Johnson Fernandes, Leeta Pinto, Sophia Pinto, and Reena Praveen Noronha—for any new records, including emails, chat logs, or receipts that could show how the pitch was made and how the payments were justified. The central facts, investigators say, are not in dispute: five people paid precise sums—Rs 34 lakh, Rs 8 lakh, Rs 6.8 lakh, Rs 19.5 lakh, and Rs 18 lakh—after assurances of quick Australian work visas; no visas arrived; and the money was not returned.

As the investigation proceeds, police are urging residents in Gangolli and Kundapur to report similar experiences, especially involving the names or phone numbers tied to the accused. Officers stressed that anyone seeking overseas jobs should avoid large cash advances, verify employers directly, and consult official sources. The Gangolli case will test how swiftly BNS-era cheating charges can move from FIR to chargesheet and, if warranted, trial. For the five complainants, it is also about recovering what they paid across months of trust and expectation, in the hope of a job and a new start many thousands of miles away.