Two arrested for offering fake jobs in Thailand, Myanmar
Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested two agents who were allegedly involved in sending two Dongri residents, who were abducted and taken to Myanmar, by promising lucrative jobs to them in Thailand
Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested two agents who were allegedly involved in sending two Dongri residents, who were abducted and taken to Myanmar, by promising lucrative jobs to them in Thailand. The police suspect the duo had sent several others from the city in a similar manner.
The police said the extortion amount which the victims paid was even diverted from the agent’s bank accounts.
“We have arrested Nawaz Pathan and his boss Umar Chiruvattam,” said Sangramsinh Nishandar, deputy commissioner of police, Mumbai Crime branch. “We are trying to track the other accused.”
The police said the duo operated under the name of ‘Nusrat Enterprises.’ While Chiruvattam sat in the office in Dongri, Pathan searched for men to be sent outside India for a job.
“They have also sent several people to the middle east and we suspect a few were sent to Thailand. Those people who were sent to Thailand were kidnapped and taken to Myanmar,” said a police officer.
The extortion money has also gone from their bank accounts and later the men have been released from Myanmar detention centres, the officer said, adding, “It’s also their job to verify properly before sending anybody out of India about the job. They never told the duo the name of the company that had hired them.”
The police said the name of the duo had cropped up in the statements of the Dongri residents, Shehzad Tamboli and Saud Niyaji, who had travelled to Thailand on August 24 but were taken to Myanmar and later asked to pay around ₹5 lakhs each for their release.
“Pathan was the one who had lured the men to go to Thailand. He had told them if you work for six months you will earn a lot of money,” said a police officer.
It added that when the men had inquired about the company name, Pathan had fixed their meeting with Chiruvattam, who he claimed was his boss. The men were lured with a minimum salary of $1,000 to $1,200 and an increase depending on their performance.
Pathan had even collected ₹20,000 from the men to get them the offer.
“He had told them that the food and stay will be taken care of by the company and it was a digital marketing and data entry job. The only thing that the company wanted was the candidate should be able to speak fluent English,” said a police officer. “We are questioning Pathan and Chiruvattam to find out more about the scam,” the police officer added.
After they were kidnapped even the settlement amount of ₹10 lakhs had gone through Chiruvattam and another conman named Yasir, the officer added.
The crime branch is also investigating a similar case wherein three men, one from Bandra and two from Mira Road are presently kidnapped in Myanmar.