Two arrested for duping job seekers; transactions of Rs 1cr found by Mumbai Crime Branch

PTI, Jan 8, 2024, 8:52 PM IST

Mumbai: Two persons were arrested for allegedly opening placement offices in several parts of Mumbai and duping job seekers, a Crime Branch official said on Monday.

They have cheated more than 100 persons and transactions amounting to Rs 1 crore have been traced so far from various bank accounts and through cash collection, he said.

”They would rent an office for 45 days and shut shop and flee after duping job seekers. Based on a specific tip off, a raid was conducted by Unit VIII of the Crime Branch on one such placement office in Marine Lines in south Mumbai. The accused had collected Rs 80,000 from each aspirant and had given bogus offer letters,” he said.

”The accused had collected cash using UPI and QR code scanners etc. We have recovered medical certificates of aspirants, travel documents, visiting cards, letterheads etc as well as fake offer letters of jobs in Dubai, Singapore, Kuwait etc,” he added.

The official identified the accused as Shahid Hussain Mohammed Hussain Shaikh (39), a resident of Jogeshwari East, and Mohammed Nazim Mohammed Shabir Manihar (45) from Malad West.

”They were operating this racket from 2016. The duo had also opened offices in Mira Road, Jogeshwari and Khar. They were remanded in police custody till Friday and further probe is underway,” the official added.