A NZ-based Indian-origin couple pulled off a massive government scam, fled to India in business class, and left behind a mess worth over ₹10 crore.
Neha Sharma, a property manager, faked her way into a top government job at Oranga Tamariki with forged references. She then used her role to hand out contracts worth over NZ$2.1 million (₹10.6 crore) to her husband Amandeep Sharma’s shady firm, Divine Connection Ltd.
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The company wasn’t even on the agency’s approved list—but that didn’t stop her from greenlighting inflated invoices and even billing a TV for her own house.
She lied to colleagues, planted a friend in the agency to steer jobs, and pretended her husband was just “another contractor.” All this while working for a department meant to protect children.
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When suspicions grew, Neha didn’t come clean. Instead, she resigned, playing the victim, altered company documents to cover their tracks, and tried to wash away the evidence.
Just a few weeks following a police raid, the couple escaped to Chennai—on a one-way business-class ticket, with 80 kg of luggage and plans to vanish.
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Shockingly, Neha even managed to bag another government job using the same fake references while being under investigation!
She’s now serving a jail term and blaming her crimes on “baby brain.” Her husband’s sentencing is due, with a huge portion of the loot likely already sent to India.
