Update: American D.V. Victims

So I emailed Bishakha for clarification, once I realized that the "American D.V. Victims" didn't actually pay money to participate in the lottery, and in response, she sent this article:

Visa Blues

Basically, it seems there's confusion over the rules, so people applied who didn't meet the qualifications, and thus even when their name was drawn in the lottery, no visa was granted. Others assumed that they would receive the visa if they applied, not understanding the lottery side of things. These people spent hundreds of thousands of rupees making travel arrangements, sold their properties, quit their jobs, etc., and now want recompense.

It's an unfortunate situation, but it seems more like a miscommunication than anything else. That, of course, doesn't make these "victims" any better off ...