The Mumbai crime branch recently dismantled a gang involved in an overseas job fraud scheme, arresting three individuals from their office in Andheri East. The suspects allegedly duped several aspirants by promising them employment opportunities in countries like Canada and Denmark, providing fake visas and bogus appointment letters as part of their scam.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Shubham Arvind Pundir (25), Shubham Pradeep De (23), and Swapnil Sunil Naik (34). They were produced in court and remanded in custody until June 3.
According to police reports, the gang charged between Rs1 lakh and Rs5 lakh from job seekers, sharing visas and job offer letters via WhatsApp to enhance their authenticity. The crime branch’s unit 8 conducted a raid at their placement office located in Avenue Building, Chimatpada area, recovering numerous fraudulent documents.
The scheme came to light when Ramiz Khan, a 36-year-old resident of Mulund, filed a complaint after being duped of Rs2 lakh. Khan, seeking better job prospects in Europe, responded to a social media advertisement for an agency named “Worldwide Recruiting Services,” which promised employment visas. Upon visiting the office, he was informed about a job opportunity in Denmark’s sales department, with a salary of Rs1 lakh per month.
The gang requested Rs4 lakh for the visa application and processing fees, demanding Rs 2 lakh upfront, with the remainder deducted from his salary. Following their instructions, Khan initially paidRs50,000 on October 31, 2023, and later transferred an additional Rs1.5 lakh online. After receiving a bogus job offer letter, Khan verified its authenticity, discovering it was fraudulent. When he approached the agency, they assured him they would resolve the issue and issue a new offer letter.