Cancelling about 2,000 visa appointments made by bots, zero tolerance for fraud: US Embassy in India
New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI): The US Embassy in India has said its consular team is "cancelling" about 2,000 visa appointments made by "bots", while asserting it has "zero tolerance" for agents and fixers who violate its scheduling policies.
The embassy informed this in a notice shared in a post on X on Wednesday.
A senior US official also confirmed the development.
"Consular Team India is cancelling about 2000 visa appointments made by bots. We have zero tolerance for agents and fixers that violate our scheduling policies," the embassy wrote on the social media platform.
The notice shared in the post underlined that the team has "identified bad actors" who made about 2,000 visa appointments that "violated our scheduling policies".
"Effective immediately, we are cancelling these appointments and suspending the associated accounts' scheduling privileges," it said.
"We will continue our anti-fraud efforts. We have zero tolerance for fraud," the notice says.
There is a very high demand for the US visas, both among students and tourists, besides travellers in other categories.
In 2023, the US Mission in India had processed a record 1.4 million visas overall.
The American universities attract a large number of Indian students, and the US consular team in India had in 2023 issued over 1,40,000 student visas -- more than in any other country.
Consular Team India is canceling about 2000 visa appointments made by bots. We have zero tolerance for agents and fixers that violate our scheduling policies. pic.twitter.com/ypakf99eCo
— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) March 26, 2025
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
