CBI Busts Major International E-Visa Racket; Fake Kuwaiti Government Website Used to Dupe Hundreds

NEW DELHI – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a Regular Case (RC) against two Indian nationals and several unknown accomplices for allegedly operating a sophisticated international visa scam. The accused reportedly created a fraudulent website that mimicked the official Kuwaiti government portal to issue hundreds of fake e-visas and employment letters to unsuspecting job seekers.

The Fraudulent Operation

According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed on January 28, 2026, by the CBI’s Internal Operations Division (IOD) in New Delhi, the scam involved the following details:

• Fake Domain: The accused operated a deceptive website, “https://eservicemoi-Kw.com“, which was designed to closely resemble the legitimate portal of the Ministry of Interior in Kuwait.
• Victims Lured: Between September 2024 and March 2025, the syndicate lured 431 Indian nationals by advertising contact numbers on various social media platforms.
• Scale of Scam: A total of 433 fraudulent Kuwaiti e-visas were issued through the fake portal during this period.

Modus Operandi

The investigation revealed a systematic process used to defraud victims:

1. Job Bait: Victims were induced under the guise of securing lucrative employment in reputed Kuwaiti companies.
2. Information Theft: Accused persons used WhatsApp to collect passport copies and personal particulars from the victims.
3. Forgery: The syndicate shared forged appointment letters and fake Kuwaiti e-visas to build trust.
4. Extortion: Victims were directed to deposit money into specific bank accounts shared via WhatsApp as “fees” for the services.

Accused Profiles and Legal Action

The CBI has named two primary suspects in the FIR:

• Rahul Gupta: A resident of Karawal Nagar, Delhi.
• Rajitha K.V.: Based in Indiranagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The case was registered following a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) initiated on June 9, 2025, which successfully identified the key players and their methods. The accused face multiple charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000:

• BNS, 2023: Section 61 (Criminal Conspiracy) read with Sections 318 (Cheating), 336 (Forgery for cheating), and 340 (Using forged documents).
• IT Act, 2000: Section 66-D (Cheating by personation using computer resources).

The investigation has been entrusted to Inspector Sunil Kumar Sharma of the CBI, IOD, New Delhi. The agency is currently working to identify “unknown others” involved in the conspiracy and trace the illicit funds collected through the scam.