Placement jobs overseas are a common scam in the city; they entice young people with the promise of placement abroad and then extort money. The Mumbai crime branch arrested two members of such a gang. These people used to defraud the targets by stealing their passports and large sums of money.
The gang used to ask to pay around Rs 50,000–1 lakh and when the victims demanded their passports back, they would demand a blackmail amount in exchange.
Ramkrupal Kushwa from Bhiwandi and one Rohit Sinha from Delhi came under the trap of cops, and at least six more members are wanted in this case. This gang cheated several youngsters with the promise of jobs in Azerbaijan. Police said that the accused gang operated recruitment and placement services under the name of Bombay Consultancy at Shahid Bhagat Singh Road in south Mumbai and lured youngsters with a promise of a Rs 50,000–Rs 80,000 job package in Azerbaijan.
A crime branch officer told Afternoon Voice that “the accused used to show bogus documents to lure youngsters. They used to show them the demand for bogus placements, accept money from them and cheat the victims, mostly from Bihar. When the victims demanded their passports back, the gang members demanded an extortion amount in exchange for passports”.
A police team led by inspector Ghanshyam Nair raided the consultancy office and seized a router, two telephones, fake rubber stamps, visas, a medical test book and 21 passports of various victims. “At least 40 to 50 people, mostly from middle-class families, were tricked by the gang.
