Staged Robberies: 10 Indian Nationals Indicted in Massachusetts Visa Fraud Scheme

A federal grand jury in Boston has indicted ten people in one of the stranger immigration fraud schemes you'll read about.

Ten Indian nationals are accused of participating in a conspiracy to carry out staged armed robberies of convenience stores so that store clerks could falsely claim to be crime victims on immigration applications.

Here's how it allegedly worked: A man named Rambhai Patel set up fake robberies at convenience stores, liquor stores, and fast food restaurants across Massachusetts and other states.

A "robber" would threaten clerks with an apparent firearm, take cash from the register, and flee while surveillance cameras rolled. The clerks would then wait five or more minutes before calling police to report the "crime."

The goal? The fake victims would use the incident to apply for a U Visa, which is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and who cooperated with law enforcement. In other words, they were gaming an immigration pathway designed to protect real crime victims.

The alleged "victims" each paid Rambhai Patel to participate, and he in turn paid store owners for the use of their locations.

Rambhai Patel and getaway driver Balwinder Singh were convicted in May 2025.

The ten people indicted this week are accused of either setting up individual robberies or paying for themselves or a family member to be a fake victim.

Several of the defendants were living in Massachusetts communities including Marshfield, Randolph, Quincy, Weymouth, and Plainville.

The following defendants have been indicted by a federal grand jury with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud:

1. Jitendrakumar Patel, 39, unlawfully residing in Marshfield, Mass.;
2. Maheshkumar Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass.;
3. Sanjaykumar Patel, 45, unlawfully residing in Quincy, Mass.;
4. Dipikaben Patel, 40, deported to India after unlawfully residing in Weymouth, Mass.;
5. Rameshbhai Patel, 52, unlawfully residing in Eubank, Ky.;
6. Amitabahen Patel, 43, unlawfully residing in Plainville, Mass.;
7. Ronakkumar Patel, 28, unlawfully residing in Maryland Heights, Miss.;
8. Sangitaben Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass.;
9. Minkesh Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio; and
10. Sonal Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio.

Each faces up to five years in prison and is subject to deportation after any sentence imposed.