The Mumbai Police said it has busted a job racket in which around 50 people were allegedly duped of more than Rs 25 lakh under the pretext of being offered jobs abroad.
The Goregaon police arrested a civil engineer, identified as Ram Pratap Singh (27), on Monday for allegedly duping 34 people to the tune of Rs 22.68 lakh while another 15 people were also allegedly cheated of Rs 2.5 lakh under the pretext of facilitating jobs in the UAE.
Police said Singh — along and his aide Vandana Verma (24), who was arrested on February 4 — used to run a job agency in Goregaon (west). The two allegedly operated under the banner of one Raiz India Enterprises Private Limited in Arcade building on Aarey road in Goregaon, said a police officer.
According to police, in July 2017, one Naushad Shaikhandikar approached the agency that promised to get him business in return for a commission.
Shaikhandikar, in his statement to police, said: “I was told that the candidates will have to pay a certain amount to get labour jobs in the UAE. So, I collected the money from the labourers who approached me and forwarded it to Singh.”
“After we handed them the documents and money collected from interested candidates, Singh gave appointment letters from construction firms and popular conglomerates in the UAE… But when the candidates went to the UAE, they neither got the jobs nor did they manage to get any accommodation. I brought them back on my money. I have spent nearly Rs 12 lakh till now from my own pocket,” the complainant told the police.
Later, when the two were untraceable and their office was found shut, Shaikhandikar approached the Goregaon police and lodged an FIR on May 6, 2018. The police informed him that there were 20 others who were also duped of Rs 22.68 lakh by the duo.
A few months later, the police were informed that Singh had opened another agency in Goregaon and allegedly duped 15 more people of Rs 2.5 lakh. A second FIR was then registered against the two at the same police station. The police said both the accused have two more similar cheating cases registered against them.
