Pay-and-Stay Visa Scam: Indian embassy opened hotline facility for 129 Indian students arrested by US authorities

The Indian embassy in the United States has opened 24/7 hotline facility for 129 Indian students who have been arrested by the American authorities in the pay-and-stay university visa scam, officials said.

US authorities have arrested 129 Indian students who are among the 130 foreign students. They have been arrested for enrolling at a fake university allegedly remaining in the US.

The university in Detroit’s Farmington Hills was part of an undercover operation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designed to expose immigration fraud, according to federal prosecutors who announced charges in the case.

The two numbers have been released by the Indian embassy are 202-322-1190 and 202-340-2590, officials said on Friday.

Also, the arrested students, their family and friends can contact the embassy at cons3.washington@mea.gov.in.

To handle the matter, Indian embassy has appointed a nodal officer and also coordinate all issues related to helping Indian students affected by the busting of the pay-and-stay’ scam which has been run by a group of Indian that has put around 600 students under this trouble.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE had arrested 130 students from the fake Farmington University in Greater Detroit area till Thursday.

-With PTI inputs