Overseas job racket run by woman busted in Punjab’s Pathankot

Police said the arrested accused woman had defrauded a victim of lakhs of rupees with false promises of lucrative jobs and Croatia permanent residency (PR)

The Pathankot police on Saturday busted an overseas job racket which was being operated by a woman travel agent. The police have arrested the woman who had been deceiving victims with false promises of jobs and permanent residency in Croatia. The arrested accused has been identified as Urmila Jawaliya, a resident of Pathankot.

The accused travel agent in Pathankot police custody on Saturday.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh said that the probe commenced in response to complaints received by the economic offences wing (EOW) of Pathankot Police. The inquiry was headed by inspector Gurpreet Kaur from EOW, with assistance from SHO Taragarh, Navdeep Sharma and SHO Division No 1, Inspector Mandeep Salgotra, which led to the arrest of the accused travel agent.

He said that the probe started after a complaint filed by one Kashmir Singh, a resident of village Bhumbli in Gurdaspur. Jawaliya falsely assured Kashmir that she could secure a job opportunity for his son in Croatia and demanded a sum of ₹6.5 lakh for the same. After taking ₹5.6 lakh from Singh, Urmila handed over fraudulent documents and failed to fulfil her promises. Subsequently, SHO Division No.1, Mandeep Salgotra, set up a trap, leading to the arrest of the woman. A case has been registered against the accused under Sections 420, 406 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 24 of the Immigration Act at Police Station Division No. 1.

In yet another incident, Chandra, a parent residing in a village in Gurdaspur, fell prey to a fake job scheme. A Gurdaspur resident, Arun, had promised Chandra a lucrative position in the merchant navy for his son, Amandeep. The catch was that the son needed to complete an expensive course. Trusting the promises, Chandra provided the necessary funds and documents, only to discover that it was all fake. When Chandra sought a refund, the accused person issued bounced checks, leaving Chandra defrauded of ₹5.5 lakh. SHO Taragarh, Navdeep Sharma, and his team laid a trap leading to the arrest of the accused. Consequently an FIR July 27, 2023, was registered against the accused under Sections 420, 467, 468, and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Police Station, Taragarh.