Latest news with #DivineConnection
India Today
20-05-2025
- India Today
After Rs 10-crore scam, New Zealand couple flew business class to India
An Indian-origin couple living in Christchurch, New Zealand, was convicted in a fraud case that caused losses exceeding NZ$2 million (10 crore) to Oranga Tamariki, the country's child welfare agency. An investigation in the case has been on since October 2022, but details emerged recently after a guilty plea by one of the accused. After committing the fraud, the couple also took a business-class flight to India in May 16, Amandeep Sharma, director of Divine Connection Ltd, pleaded guilty and is due to be sentenced in June. His wife, Neha Sharma, 36, a former property and facilities manager at Oranga Tamariki, the Ministry of Children of New Zealand, was sentenced earlier in May to three years in prison after pleading guilty to charges, including obtaining by deception, money laundering, and using forged used her position within the agency to funnel more than 200 inflated maintenance jobs and 326 falsified invoices to Divine Connection, the company secretly run by her husband. Colleagues were unaware of their relationship, enabling the fraud to go undetected for over a year — from July 2021 to October had secured her job at the agency using fake references and never declared her conflict of interest. Despite strict agency policies, she concealed her marriage and her husband's involvement with the contracted scheme began to collapse in October 2022 when a co-worker flagged repeated job allocations to the same contractor. A meeting was scheduled for November 2 to address the irregularities, but Neha resigned by email just before it, claiming she was being unfairly targeted. Within 20 minutes of her resignation, Amandeep was removed as the director of Divine Connection, and the company's registered address was changed in an attempt to hide the December 2022, Amandeep was also removed as a shareholder, replaced by a man named Prince Bajaj. However, during a later investigation, Bajaj told authorities he had no knowledge of being listed and had not consented to the change—confirming the move was March 30, 2023, the Serious Fraud Office raided the couple's property. By then, they had already attempted to shift large sums offshore, booked one-way business class tickets to Chennai, and begun liquidating assets. They owned three properties, three vehicles, and liquid assets amounting to around NZ$800,000 (4 crore), much of which had already been transferred to being under suspicion, Neha managed to briefly secure another government job at the New Zealand Transport Agency using the same fake references she had previously used to join Oranga is currently incarcerated with her baby in a special unit, while the couple's older child was sent to India with Amandeep's sister. Through her lawyer, Neha blamed her actions on "baby brain," though prosecutors said there was no remorse or offer of repayment.
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Business Standard
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Govt desk to jail: Rs 10 cr fraud by Indian couple in New Zealand decoded
Indian-origin Neha Sharma looked like the model public servant. A trusted property manager at Oranga Tamariki, New Zealand's Ministry for Children, she handled government maintenance jobs with apparent dedication. Her husband, Amandeep Sharma, was a construction company director. But behind the paperwork and property inspections, the pair were orchestrating a fraud worth over $2 million (around ₹10 crore). Now, Neha Sharma has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of deception, money laundering, and using forged documents. Her husband has also admitted to similar charges and will be sentenced in June. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) of New Zealand, which prosecuted the case, said the couple transferred just under $800,000 overseas once their actions came under scrutiny, then fled the country. Government job, fake references, and a front company Neha Sharma, 36, used fake references to get hired at Oranga Tamariki in 2021, where she was responsible for property maintenance across Canterbury. She added her husband's firm, Divine Connection Ltd, to the agency's contractor system without declaring a conflict of interest. Then she personally approved jobs worth $2.1 million for Divine Connection — despite the company not being on the list of approved suppliers. Invoices were padded with inflated charges and, in some cases, unrelated purchases, including a television for Neha's own home. She concealed her marriage to Amandeep from colleagues, even instructing him by text to act independently and coaching him on how to maintain the illusion of being just another supplier. They enlisted a friend working at the call centre to help route jobs to Divine Connection. Fraud triggers internal probe and SFO investigation By late 2022, irregular invoicing and job allocations raised red flags. When it was discovered that Divine Connection was registered at Neha's home address, she abruptly resigned, alleging she was being targeted. Shortly after her resignation, company records were changed—Amandeep's name was removed and replaced with that of an unaware acquaintance. The SFO began its investigation and raided the couple's home in March 2023, finding three vehicles, three properties, and nearly $800,000 in liquid assets, which they were in the process of moving to India. Escape to India and fresh job with fake credentials Within weeks of the raid, the couple took a business-class flight to Chennai, carrying 80 kilograms of luggage. They had tried to liquidate assets and falsely claimed they had sold their company. Even while on the run, Neha used the same forged references to secure a new job at the NZ Transport Agency, listing her husband as a referee once again. Appearing at the High Court in Christchurch, she cited 'baby brain' as part of her defence. She is now serving her sentence in a mothers' and babies' unit. The court noted her lack of remorse and the absence of any repayment offer. The Ministry of Education confirmed that her references were indeed fake and that she had been hired through an external recruiter. An audit of her time there found no financial wrongdoing. Asset recovery and international cooperation The SFO said the case was not just about money, but about the erosion of trust in public systems. 'These convictions mark an important milestone in the SFO's prosecution of this case,' said SFO Director Karen Chang. 'Offending of this kind erodes public confidence and harms the integrity of New Zealand's public institutions and our reputation as a safe place to invest.' She added, 'This case also highlights the requirement for rigorous vetting of public servants especially as they move between agencies.' The couple's assets have been restrained by New Zealand police with help from Indian authorities. The Police Asset Recovery Unit is working to return the funds to New Zealand. The High Court has also issued a restraining order over the couple's local properties under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009. 'We would like to acknowledge the Police and Indian authorities for their swift action and assistance in securing the defendant's assets, as well as the co-operation of Oranga Tamariki and Waka Kotahi in the investigation,' said Chang. Case timeline June 2023 Amandeep Sharma appears in Christchurch District Court on charges of deception and money laundering. A warrant is issued for Neha Sharma, who is in India at the time. September 2023 The couple plead not guilty in Christchurch District Court. September 2024 Trial was scheduled to begin on September 8, 2025. March 2025 Neha Sharma pleads guilty to charges of deception and using forged documents. May 2025 Neha Sharma is sentenced to three years in prison. Amandeep Sharma pleads guilty to charges of deception.
NDTV
20-05-2025
- NDTV
Indian-Origin Couple Swindled Crores In New Zealand, Escape To Chennai Did Not Help
An Indian-origin couple has been convicted of defrauding New Zealand's child welfare agency, Oranga Tamariki, of more than NZ$2 million (over Rs 10 crore). Neha Sharma has been sentenced to three years in jail after pleading guilty to multiple fraud-related charges, including obtaining money by deception, money laundering, and using forged documents. Her husband, Amandeep Sharma, has also pleaded guilty to deception and laundering charges, The NZ Herald reported. Before their arrest, the couple flew to Chennai in a business class flight, shortly after authorities began closing in on their fraudulent scheme. Their escape was short-lived. They were soon brought back under investigation. At the time, the couple owned three properties, three cars, and had nearly $800,000 (over Rs 4 crore) in cash across their joint bank accounts. Neha Sharma worked as a property and facilities manager at Oranga Tamariki, while Amandeep Sharma ran a construction company named Divine Connection. Their fraudulent scheme started gaining traction roughly eight months after Divine Connection was onboarded as a contractor. No one at the agency knew the two were married. This allowed Neha Sharma to use her internal access to route over 200 maintenance jobs and 326 inflated invoices to Divine Connection between July 2021 and October 2022, directly benefiting her husband's company. Some of the money was even paid for personal items, like a new television for their home. Neha Sharma joined the agency in 2021 by submitting fake job references. Despite the agency's strict rules about conflicts of interest, she never disclosed her ties to Divine Connection or its director, her husband. In one text message between the two, Neha Sharma told Amandeep Sharma, "You just say you are working for me. He should not know you are my be a huge issue for me." She even brought in a friend to help push more work to Divine Connection through the agency. During office hours, she wasn't just authorising payments, but was also helping run the company. The scam began to crumble in October 2022 when a colleague questioned the repeated job assignments going to the same contractor. On November 2, the day Neha Sharma was due for a meeting to explain the irregularities, she abruptly resigned by email. She claimed she was being unfairly targeted and refused to attend the meeting. Within 20 minutes of her resignation, Amandeep Sharma was removed as Divine Connection's director and the company's address was changed, seen as an apparent attempt to cover their tracks. The Serious Fraud Office raided their property on March 30, 2023. During the raids, Neha Sharma claimed Divine Connection had been approved before she joined Oranga Tamariki and that she had disclosed the conflict. These claims were later proven false by the evidence. Oranga Tamariki has since tightened its internal controls and oversight to prevent such misconduct in the future. CEO Andrew Bridgman said, "Corruption of this kind is utterly unacceptable. Oranga Tamariki takes any case of fraud extremely seriously, as shown by its actions once concerns were raised."
News18
20-05-2025
- News18
New Zealand Court Convicts Indian-Origin Couple In ₹10 Crore Fraud Case
Last Updated: Less than two weeks after the raid, the couple booked business class one-way tickets to Chennai. A New Zealand-based Indian-origin couple has been found guilty in a major fraud case linked to the country's child welfare agency, Oranga Tamariki (OT). The woman, who worked for the government, used her job to approve fake or inflated payments to her husband's construction company. The case, based in Christchurch, led to losses of more than NZ$2 million (around Rs 10 crore). As reported by The New Zealand Herald, Neha Sharma was working as a property and facilities manager at OT when she began sending work to her husband Amandeep Sharma's business, Divine Connection Ltd. She secretly approved more than 103 payments tied to 326 invoices submitted by the company between July 22, 2021 and October 28, 2022. The total of these payments was $2.1 million. Many of these payments were for jobs that were either overpriced, never done or involved personal purchases like a TV for their home. According to the report, Neha never told her team that she was related to the company. She was seen as a reliable employee, but secretly she was managing Divine Connection's work, like taking calls, assigning jobs and even using her work computer and time to do so. She added the company to the agency's system herself and gave it most of the jobs. In some cases, she left other staff out of the process to avoid questions. The fraud went unnoticed for over a year until late 2022, when someone noticed irregularities in the invoices. On October 26, 2022, a facilities team member at OT raised concerns that Sharma was giving jobs to Divine Connection, going against usual practice. It was pointed out that she had already been told not to give work to anyone other than City Care which OT had a contract. Neha was called for a meeting with the team to talk about it. It had also come up that the company was registered at her home address. But before the meeting could happen, she resigned. After leaving OT, Neha got another job at the New Zealand Transport Agency. To get hired, she used a fake reference again, and this time with her husband pretending to be her former boss. On March 30, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) raided the couple's home. They owned three cars and three properties and had nearly $800,000 (approximately Rs 4 crore) in their joint bank accounts. Neha told the SFO she had informed OT about her connection to Divine Connection and claimed she signed a conflict of interest form but was told not to worry. Amandeep said they had sold the company to Prince Bajaj. But Bajaj later told the SFO he didn't know he had been listed as the company's director and shareholder and said it was done without his consent. There was no record of any money being paid for the sale. Less than two weeks after the raid, the couple booked business class one-way tickets to Chennai for April 14. This was surprising as they had things lined up in Christchurch, including parenting classes and travel plans. Neha had also bought baby expo tickets. Before flying out, they moved nearly $800,000 from their bank accounts to ones in India and tried to sell off their cars and properties. They boarded their flight on April 14 with 80 kg of luggage between them. The High Court later froze their assets. The SFO found that money had been sent from Amandeep's Indian bank account to seven other accounts in India. Sharma pleaded guilty to several charges, including using forged documents, money laundering and obtaining money through deception. She was sentenced to three years in prison. Her lawyer claimed she was affected by 'baby brain", but the judge noted she had shown no real remorse and made no effort to return any of the money. She is now serving her sentence in a special unit for mothers with babies. Their older child is reportedly with relatives in India. Amandeep also admitted to charges and will be sentenced in June. First Published:
Hindustan Times
19-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Indian-origin couple escapes on business class flight after $2 million fraud
A Christchurch-based Indian-origin couple has been convicted in a long-running fraud case involving New Zealand's Oranga Tamariki, with the woman exploiting her position as a property manager to divert government funds to her husband's company. The elaborate scheme resulted in losses of over NZ$2 million (approximately ₹10.1 crore) to the child welfare agency, reported the New Zealand Herald. Neha Sharma, 36, who served as the property and facilities manager at Oranga Tamariki, has been sentenced to three years in prison after admitting to multiple charges, including obtaining by deception, money laundering, and using forged documents. Her husband, Amandeep Sharma, the director of Divine Connection Ltd, has also pleaded guilty and is due to be sentenced in June. The duo manipulated internal systems to funnel government contracts to Amandeep's firm, with Neha allocating and approving work despite the company not being on the agency's approved list. The conflict of interest was concealed throughout the operation, with Neha misleading colleagues about her relationship with Amandeep and instructing him to appear independent. According to the outlet, Neha had used fake references to secure her role at Oranga Tamariki in 2021, which involved managing property maintenance projects across Canterbury. Once in position, she added Divine Connection to the contractor system and oversaw jobs worth NZ$2.1 million (over ₹10.6 crore) being awarded to the company over just 15 months. Many of these invoices were inflated, and some covered personal expenses, including a television purchased for her home. To avoid suspicion, Neha told colleagues her husband was 'just another contractor' and even arranged for a friend to join the agency's call centre to steer jobs towards Divine Connection. However, by late 2022, internal concerns arose about questionable invoices and job assignments. When it was discovered that Amandeep's business was registered to Neha's home address, she abruptly resigned, claiming she was being unfairly targeted. Also read: Byju Raveendran breaks silence on toxic work culture claims: 'Just a small percentage' Shortly after, the couple altered official company documents to remove Amandeep's name and substituted it with an acquaintance who was unaware of the plan. A criminal investigation was launched by New Zealand's Serious Fraud Office, culminating in a raid on the couple's home in March 2023. Authorities found they owned three properties, three vehicles, and liquid assets amounting to NZ$800,000 (approximately ₹4 crore), much of which had been transferred or attempted to be sent to India. Just weeks after the raid, the Sharmas boarded a one-way business-class flight to Chennai, carrying 80 kilograms of luggage. They had tried to sell off assets and falsely claimed to have dissolved their company before fleeing the country. Despite being under investigation, Neha managed to briefly secure another government job with the NZ Transport Agency using the same fake references. Her husband posed as a referee during the hiring process. Appearing before the High Court in Christchurch, Neha Sharma blamed 'baby brain' for her actions. She is currently serving her sentence in the mothers' and babies' unit. Prosecutors said she showed no genuine remorse or intention to repay the stolen funds. Also read: 'We've lost control': Chilling cockpit audio resurfaces from Alaska Airlines Flight 261 before deadly 2000 crash 'This was a serious breach of public trust,' said Oranga Tamariki CEO Andrew Bridgman, adding that the agency acted quickly once red flags were raised and has since implemented tighter controls. The Ministry of Education, which had received the forged references, confirmed they were not authentic. The agency also noted that Neha's recruitment had been handled by an external firm and that an internal audit found no financial misconduct during her brief time there.
