Indian nationals charged with staging fake robberies to commit visa fraud

Eleven Indian nationals face federal charges connected to fake armed robberies staged to commit visa fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday. The fake robberies allowed store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on their immigration applications, according to investigators.

All of the men face charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Some of them are accused of helping arrange the fake robberies, while others allegedly paid for themselves or a family member to participate as a victim. Authorities arrested six of the group in Massachusetts, where they resided illegally, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

They made their first appearances in Boston federal court on Friday. Others were arrested and arraigned in Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio. Another suspect also charged with the crime was previously deported to India, the office said.

How many staged armed robberies are the men accused of arranging? The group allegedly participated in at least six fake robberies during March 2023, which mostly took place in Massachusetts convenience stores, liquor stores, and restaurants. Group leader Rambhai Patel paid store owners to use their businesses for the staged robberies, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In each instance, a man would appear to threaten store owners or clerks with what appeared to be a firearm, then steal cash from the register and flee. The store owners would typically wait about five minutes before calling police, according to investigators.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube's report about another visa fraud scheme uncovered in Louisiana.