Promised Canada visa, Ahmedabad man's friend took Rs 20 lakh, passport, fled to Russia

An Ahmedabad businessman has accused a friend of taking Rs 20.49 lakh and his passport on the promise of a Canadian work visa. The complaint says the accused later left for Moscow, prompting allegations of fraud and breach of trust.

In Short

• Ahmedabad businessman duped of Rs 20.49 lakh by friend promising Canadian visa
• Victim Amit Majirana trusted Darshan Pithwa, who took passports and money
• Payments made over nearly three years, starting November 2022

A 30-year-old businessman from Ahmedabad was duped of Rs 20.49 lakh by a friend who promised to arrange a Canadian work visa for him and later fled to Russia with his money and original passport.

The complainant, identified as Amit Majirana, lives in Kankaria and runs a hardware business. According to his complaint filed at Sola police station, he met the accused, Darshan Pithwa, at the Shahibaug Swaminarayan Temple in 2020. The two eventually became friends.

The case dates back to November 2022, when Amit and Darshan met again during the Pramukh Swami Birth Centenary Festival at Ognaj in Ahmedabad.

During their conversation, Darshan told Amit that he could help him secure a work visa for Canada. Trusting his friendship, Amit agreed to begin the process. Darshan initially took Amit's original passport and accepted Rs 14,800 in cash for the visa process.

The arrangement later expanded to include Amit's family. Darshan promised to arrange Canadian visas for Amit's wife and two daughters as well and collected their passports too. Over the next several years, Amit transferred large sums of money to Darshan's bank account in connection with the promised visa.

Rs 20.49 LAKH PAID OVER NEARLY THREE YEARS

According to the complaint, Amit deposited Rs 20,34,200 into Darshan's bank account between November 2022 and August 2025. Including the initial cash payment of Rs 14,800, the total amount paid by Amit came to Rs 20,49,000.

Despite receiving the money, Darshan failed to provide the promised Canadian work visa. The complaint states that Darshan eventually returned the passports belonging to his wife and two daughters but kept Amit's original passport.

The complainant continued asking Darshan either to complete the visa process or return his money and passport. However, Darshan kept giving assurances and excuses instead of resolving the matter.

ACCUSED FLEES TO MOSCOW

The situation took a more serious turn when Darshan left India for Moscow, Russia, in December 2025. With neither the promised Canadian visa nor his money returned, Amit came to believe that he had been deliberately cheated.

He subsequently approached the police and filed a complaint against Darshan, alleging fraud and breach of trust.

The complaint alleges that Darshan exploited their friendship to gain Amit's confidence before taking substantial amounts of money under the promise of arranging employment-related immigration documents.

- Ends