Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested five individuals accused of cheating people out of crores of rupees by promising them jobs abroad. According to the police investigation, the accused have defrauded approximately 300 laborers under the guise of providing overseas employment opportunities.
DCP Raj Tilak Roshan of the Crime Branch stated that victims filed complaints after receiving fake visas for jobs in Middle Eastern countries. An FIR was filed, leading to the discovery that the accused operated from various locations across the country, taking amounts ranging from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 from each person in exchange for promised job placements. The accused had established offices in rented spaces where they claimed to offer jobs in countries like Azerbaijan, Oman, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Russia.
The DCP revealed that the accused initially set up an office named 'Bombay International Consultancy' in June at Ballard Pier, a posh area in South Mumbai. Following exposure by a few victims who received fake visas, the accused closed this office and opened a new one called 'Indian Overseas Placement Services' in Andheri. The police noted that the arrested individuals engaged in fraud by frequently changing their identities.
The complainant, Bharat Koli, a resident of Trombay, had paid Rs 60,000 to secure an overseas job and received a fake visa via WhatsApp.
Inspector Ghanshyam Nair, in-charge of Unit 5, led the investigation. The arrested individuals in this case are Ramkripal Kushwaha from Bhiwandi, Rohit Singh from Mumbai, Ashish Kumar Mahto from Delhi, Amitosh Gupta from Lucknow, and Rahul Kumar Chaudhary from Bihar. Following the registration of the FIR, officers from Crime Branch Unit 5 conducted raids at multiple locations, seizing 63 passports, 7 fake visas of Azerbaijan, 5 computers, a color printer, 5 landline phones, 14 mobile SIM cards, 4 rubber stamps, 10 debit cards, 6 checkbooks, and an offer letter. The mastermind behind the racket is Rahul Kumar Chaudhary.
Two additional suspects in this case are currently on the run and are lodged in a Delhi jail in connection with a similar case. A Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 5 team has been dispatched to Delhi to take custody of these absconding individuals. According to officials, all the arrested suspects have completed only up to 12th grade education. One victim, Satyawan Ghune, 35, residing in Dombivli, paid Rs 40,000 to the fraudsters. Upon attempting to contact Ghune, the police discovered that he had passed away due to a heart attack.
