Four men were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly operating a fake marine recruitment office in Noida and cheating over 100 job seekers across India by promising employment on cruise ships, police said.
The accused — Rahul (25) from Jalaun, Prashant (25) from Aligarh, Saif (25) from Kanpur, and Vishal Sharma (20), a BCA student from Noida — were reportedly running the fraudulent operation from a bogus office in Sector 132. Investigators said the group collected nearly Rs1 crore in two bank accounts over the past year.
According to police, the suspects sourced contact details of job seekers from employment websites and approached them with lucrative overseas job offers, particularly engineering roles on cruise ships. Victims were invited to the Noida office for interviews to create an impression of legitimacy.
After convincing candidates of the firm’s authenticity, the accused allegedly charged between Rs1 lakh and Rs1.20 lakh per person under the pretext of processing employment. Officials said complaints were received from victims in Kerala, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and other states.
Acting on multiple complaints, a joint team of the Cybercrime Branch and Sector 126 police used electronic surveillance to track the suspects. They raided the fake office on Tuesday and detained the accused for questioning.
Investigators revealed that the group had frequently changed locations over the past year, shifting from Sector 62 to Sector 132 and planning another move within days.
During the raid, police seized three laptops, seven mobile phones, 26 call data sheets, four fake joining letters, and other incriminating documents. Authorities also informed a woman from Telangana who had recently visited the office for an interview.
The suspects have been booked under relevant sections of cheating and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act. Further investigation is underway.
