Mumbai: Less than a week after they vanished after cheating nearly 150 people from several states across the country to the tune of several lakhs by falsely promising them visas and facilitating overseas job opportunities, the three operators of the fly-by-night placement agency in Bhayandar landed into the custody of the Navghar police on Thursday.
According to the police, the accused have been identified as-Abrar Ahmed Shah alias Ashfaq, Sahil Yasin Shah alias Wasim and Faisal Kadri Siddique alias Mohd. Tariq had started a fake placement agency in the Jesal Park area of Bhayandar (east).
Apart from posting messages on social media platforms and bulk short message service (SMS), the agency operators floated advertisements in leading daily newspapers in Punjab and various other states offering various kinds of job opportunities in countries like-Iran, Iraq and South Africa.
After the job aspirants contacted the given mobile number, they were assured of facilitating visas, appointment letters and flight tickets. They were asked to send their passports to complete the visa formalities. The accused, who demanded anywhere between Rs.70,000 to Rs.1 lakh for their services, asked the job aspirants to deposit 50 percent at the time of visa confirmation and remaining after their flight tickets were booked.
However, fraudsters shut their office and fled the spot on 26, April, leaving nearly 150 job aspirants in the lurch. The police formed special teams who on the virtue of electronic surveillance and tip-offs provided by the informers apprehended the trio from Mira Road and recovered Rs. 6.02 lakh and around 149 passports from their possession.
All the accused are natives of Uttar Pradesh who have been booked under section 10 (for functioning as recruitment agent without valid certificate) of the Emigration Act, 1983 and sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 34 (common intent) of the IPC.
Not ruling out their involvement in similar crimes, officials from the Navghar police station are conducting further investigations. The accused have been remanded to custody after they were produced before the district sessions court, Thane on Friday.
