 "238 passports & more: Mumbai police busts fake overseas jobs network")
Fake overseas job scams continue to trap Indian job seekers, with fresh cases reported this week across Mumbai, Coimbatore and Lucknow. On Thursday, Mumbai Police and the Protector and Immigrants office of the Ministry of External Affairs took action against nine establishments accused of misleading people with promises of work abroad.
Acting on a tip-off, a crime branch team and officials from the central agency carried out raids on Wednesday in south Mumbai’s Nagpada area. Officers recovered 238 passports belonging to Indian job aspirants, along with appointment letters, visiting cards, logbooks and assorted forms.
Police said the establishments had breached the Immigration Act, 1983 by sending Indian nationals overseas through unlawful channels. A case has been registered against the nine outfits, their owners and their agents at Nagpada Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Immigration Act. The crime branch is carrying out further investigation.
Coimbatore youth loses savings to fake recruitment pitch
In Coimbatore, city cyber crime police arrested a man on Wednesday for cheating a youth of Rs 3.5 lakh through a fabricated overseas job offer. Police said D James, 24, from Chinnavedampatti, had completed a degree in catering services and was searching for work. The accused, Arun, claimed he operated hotels in several countries, including Australia and Armenia, and offered James a high-paying role.
After receiving the money, Arun stopped responding to calls. James informed his father, who lodged a complaint with the Coimbatore city cyber crime police on November 29.
Major placement fraud reported in Lucknow
Last month, a larger scam emerged in Lucknow, where a local manpower agency allegedly collected nearly Rs 66 lakh from 33 applicants after promising placements in Russia and Singapore. The agency reportedly disappeared without issuing visas, tickets or job offers.
What Indian law says about overseas recruiters
Indian rules permit only agents registered with the Ministry of External Affairs under the Emigration Act, 1983 to offer overseas employment services.
“Running unlicensed immigration operations can attract charges of cheating under Section 316 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and, in serious cases, human trafficking provisions under Sections 359 and 360,” Deepika Kumari, partner at King Stubb & Kasiva, Advocates and Attorneys told Business Standard.