The Delhi High Court has rejected a petition to quash an FIR against two students accused of visa fraud, stating they were “perpetrators” and not victims. The case was initiated based on a 2022 complaint by the US Embassy, which reported that the accused, Padi Sai Chandu Reddy and Deva Maneesh, submitted forged documents in their visa applications. The Chanakyapuri police booked the two for cheating and forgery after the discrepancies were discovered.
In its December 17 order, Justice Subramonium Prasad observed that the offenses were clear and deliberate. The court stated, “It cannot be said that the Petitioners are innocent students who aspired to go abroad and they are the victims of society, rather they wanted to take the entire system for a ride by obtaining fraudulent certificates for going abroad by showing qualifications which they actually did not possess.”
Reddy had claimed to have completed a course in “Machine Learning with Python” from Softech Computers, Warangal, and submitted a certificate to that effect. However, during the investigation, he admitted that he had not attended any classes and that the certificate was fake. Maneesh had presented employment documents claiming he worked as an assistant IT manager at Softech Computers since 2017. These included appointment letters, pay slips, and an employment certificate—all of which he later confessed were fabricated.
The petitioners argued that they were victims of agents who had misled them and were “bonafide aspirants who want to undergo higher education.” However, the court firmly rejected this claim, stating, “The Petitioners cannot take the benefit of victims of the society, rather at this juncture, it can be said that the Petitioners are the perpetrators of fraud.”
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