Mumbai: The Samta Nagar police have registered an FIR against eight persons, and arrested four of them, for allegedly cheating around 180 people by promising them jobs abroad. Two of the arrested persons are
women. One of the arrested accused was found in possession of the victims’ passports. Following intervention by MP Piyush Goyal, timely action was taken, resulting in the recovery and return of all the passports to the victims. Most of the victims are from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Delhi.
About The Case
The accused were running a fake company named ‘Star Man Power’ from Office No 230, Dimple Arcade, Thakur Complex, Kandivali East. The accused have been identified as Devraj Yadav, Ashish Kumar, Verma (first name unknown), Ajan, Ayesha Ansari, Pooja Yadav, Ranjna Kamat, and Kajal Gupta. According to the police, the accused posted advertisements on social media platforms, claiming vacancies for drivers, helpers, fitters, and packing workers in foreign countries.
The accused allegedly demanded Rs 30,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh, depending on the job profile. The accused also conducted fake medical tests, issued fake visas and flight tickets, and retained nearly 180 passports. Payments were collected both in cash and through online transfers into multiple bank accounts. The complainant, Mahesh Chauhan, 25, stated that he visited the office of the accused in November, where his passport was taken, and he was assured a job in Russia.
He was asked to pay Rs 75,000 and initially paid Rs35,000. On November 11, when he visited the office to collect his passport and flight ticket, the office was closed. After waiting for several hours, he noticed more than 100 people gathered outside the office. Soon, they realised that everyone had come to collect their passports and tickets. Some victims had even been given fake visas and flight tickets. When the victims attempted to contact the main accused, Devraj Yadav, they found his mobile phone switched off.
The phones of the other accused were also unreachable. The victims then approached the police and filed a complaint. Based on this, the police registered a case on December 3 under Sections 318(4) (cheating), 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The victims alleged that while the police registered the case promptly, action took time. Subsequently, they approached the BJP office in Kandivali West and also contacted the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Reacting to the incident, MP and Union minister Piyush Goyal stated, “Safeguarding the interests, dignity and future of India’s youth remains a key priority of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Any individual or racket that exploits the dreams of young citizens will face strict and prompt action.” He added that in this case, swift police action, recovery of passports and relief to the affected victims is a matter of satisfaction.
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