Man held in fake overseas job racket, 148 passports seized

A total of 148 passports– 145 Indian and three Nepali – were seized from the placement agency’s office at Nangli Jalib near Janakpuri East Metro station in Delhi, said police, adding that Khan had even employed nine telecallers to respond to calls and queries of job aspirants.

A 36-year-old man who allegedly duped job aspirants of their money by promising them overseas employment was arrested by the Delhi Police crime branch on Thursday, and his illegal placement agency was also busted, said police.

Police said that Khan’s arrest came following an investigation into a case that was registered on the complaint of a woman, who was cheated of ₹75,000 on the pretext of overseas employment.

The man was identified as Imran Khan, a resident of west Delhi’s Uttam Nagar. A total of 148 passports– 145 Indian and three Nepali – were seized from the placement agency’s office at Nangli Jalib near Janakpuri East Metro station in Delhi, said police, adding that Khan had even employed nine telecallers to respond to calls and queries of job aspirants.

“Khan’s fake placement agency was not authorised by the foreign or labour ministries for carrying out overseas placement activities. Through the agency, he duped job seekers by promising them overseas employment in Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Iran, and Iraq under the pretext of providing them with lucrative job opportunities,” said deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (crime) Aditya Gautam.

DCP Gautam said that Khan’s arrest came following an investigation into a case that was registered on the complaint of a woman, who was cheated of ₹75,000 on the pretext of overseas employment. However, the woman was stranded in Kuwait and wasn’t given any employment as promised. She was rescued with the intervention of the Indian embassy.

“Khan used to put advertisements on social media platforms to entice job seekers, who contacted his agency’s contact number. The telecallers attended the calls, addressed their queries, and tricked them into paying money against arranging their employment in Gulf countries,” added the DCP.