Delhi Police busts vast interstate racket that duped hundreds promising Gulf jobs
New Delhi: In a major crackdown, the Delhi Police Crime Branch has dismantled a vast interstate racket responsible for duping hundreds of innocent people with the promise of lucrative employment opportunities and visas to Gulf countries, primarily Dubai.
Seven members of the gang have been apprehended in connection with this elaborate operation, which is estimated to have defrauded almost 1,000 victims, police said on Monday.
The arrested culprits have been identified as Inamul Haque Ansari (32), Tabish Hasmi (26), Md. Tabrez Alam (26), Tarique Shamsh (26), Ekram Muzaffar (19), Shankar Kumar Shah (28), and Somraj (26). Ekram Muzaffar and Tabrez Alam are natives of Bihar, while all the others are residents of Delhi.
They are alleged to have engaged in a complex and well-organized scheme aimed at enticing individuals into believing they were being presented with authentic job prospects in Gulf countries, particularly Dubai. A substantial portion of the victims involved in this elaborate con is said to originate from Kerala.
The authorities have recovered significant evidence, including eight laptops, 12 mobile phones, 110 passports, and various materials integral to their deceptive activities.
Ravindra Singh Yadav, Special CP Crime Branch, said that this deceitful enterprise was led by Inamul Haque Ansari, the mastermind of the operation, with a history of scamming people over the last six years. He established fictitious identities for local unemployed individuals, created phoney bank accounts in their names, and established a fraudulent overseas travel company using their information.
This concocted business front was subsequently advertised on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, promising assistance in obtaining work permits for Gulf nations such as Malaysia and Dubai. Victims were charged approximately Rs 60,000 per person for services related to visas, medical checks, and document processing. The intricate deception continued when tele-callers operating from a front office contacted victims, urging them to visit the company’s offices. However, after receiving payment, the fraudsters ceased all communication with the victims and abruptly abandoned their office premises without any prior notification, Yadav said.
The meticulous investigation into this complex fraud involved the gathering of diverse forms of data, including call detail records, customer application forms, internet protocol data records, bank statements, IP logs, online wallet transaction histories, and more. Utilising open-source intelligence, the investigators managed to identify email addresses linked to phone numbers that the fraudsters had used.
As the inquiry advanced, the focus narrowed to a company named “Life Long Travels,” ultimately leading the investigators to the primary conspirator, Inamul Haque Ansari, whose location was traced to Zakir Nagar in Delhi. Swift action was taken to arrest all seven culprits involved in the scam, Yadav confirmed.
The fraudulent operation extended its reach through fake companies like “M/s New Vision Enterprises Company,” which would initiate contact with unsuspecting individuals through phone calls and emails. They portrayed themselves as representatives of registered agents for legitimate Gulf companies, including Acttell Construction LLC in Dubai.
Victims were informed that they had been selected for Gulf job opportunities based on their profiles on popular job search platforms like Naukri.com and the Work India app. To proceed with visa applications, the scammers demanded Rs 59,000, which included Rs 1,000 for medical checkups, Rs 3,000 for documentation, and Rs 55,000 for consultancy charges.
These charges were collected from the victims, after which the fraudsters ceased all communication and abandoned their offices, leaving the victims in a state of shock and financial distress, Yadav said.
Investigations revealed that the fraudsters registered their fake companies on employment websites, such as Naukri.com, using forged documents. They managed to exploit the trust placed in these websites by unsuspecting job seekers. Furthermore, they prepared PAN cards and registered their companies with the Registrar of Companies using Aadhaar cards obtained through forged documents and counterfeit stamps of school principals.
The authorities are expected to inform the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) about these practices, urging corrective measures. Protectors of immigrants will also be informed about the modus operandi of this case to create awareness among overseas job aspirants, potentially preventing them from falling prey to such scams in the future, Special CP Crime said.
