The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Friday arrested 10 Indian nationals across four states in the US for allegedly participating in staged armed robberies linked to a visa fraud.
The US federal agency said the Indian nationals allegedly participated in staged armed robberies that allowed the ‘victims’ to claim immigration benefits under U visa category, the FBI said in a statement.
The U non-immigrant visa is meant for victims of specific crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement.
The FBI said 11 Indians have been charged in connection with staged armed robberies. Ten of those were arrested, while the eleventh accused was charged and deported to India.
How the fake ‘armed robberies’ worked?
The series of incidents date back to 2023, where ‘armed’ robberies were carried out in at least six convenience, liquor stores and fast food restaurants in Massachusetts.
During the course of such alleged robberies, the module operandi would remain similar — the “robber” would threaten store clerks or owners with a firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing, the FBI said. The brief ordeal was always captured on the store surveillance video.
The clerks or the owners would then wait for five minutes or more to report the “crime” to the police, ensuring that the “robbers” had escaped by then.
The FBI later found out that the robberies were staged and carried out by one Rambhai Patel and his accomplices. Moreover, the “victims” would allegedly pay Patel to participate in the scheme. The store owners were also paid by Patel for the use of their stores for the staged robbery.
The authorities unveiled that the robberies were carried out to benefit the ‘victim’, who were clerks or owners and to portray that they were victims of a violent crime, thus making them an applicant for U non-immigration status.
What FBI probe revealed?
The FBI said the 11 defendants were allegedly involved in either arranging the robbery with the main accused or paid for themselves or a family member to participate as a “victim.”
The authorities said that Jitendrakumar Patel, Maheshkumar Patel, Sanjaykumar Patel, Amitabahen Patel, Sangitaben Patel and Mitul Patel were arrested in Massachusetts and released after an initial appearance in a Boston court. Meanwhile, Rameshbhai Patel, Ronakkumar Patel, Sonal Patel and Minkesh Patel were arrested and appeared in Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio. They will be presented before a federal court in Boston later.
The federal authorities said Rambhai Patel, the “robber,” and a getaway driver were previously charged and convicted.
The accused have been charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, which includes a 5-year prison sentence, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
