Daijiworld Media Network – Thane
Thane, Jul 17: More than 130 job aspirants were allegedly cheated of Rs 52.68 lakh by a recruitment agency in Maharashtra’s Thane district after being promised overseas employment opportunities, police said on Friday.
A case has been registered against eight persons associated with Al-Limra International, a recruitment agency operating in Kalyan, and an investigation has been launched to trace the accused.
According to police, the alleged fraud took place between January and May this year. The agency allegedly attracted job seekers by offering lucrative employment opportunities abroad and collected money along with passports from candidates as part of the recruitment process.
However, the promised jobs were never arranged, and the agency later shut down its operations, leaving several candidates in distress.
A Mumbai resident approached the Mahatma Phule Chowk Police Station and filed a complaint, following which police began investigating the alleged scam.
Inspector Vinod Patil said more than 130 people were affected, with some victims losing both their money and passports.
“Some victims have lost both their money and passports. When they tried to follow up on their applications, they found that the agency had suddenly closed its operations,” Patil said.
Police estimated that the total amount involved in the alleged fraud was around Rs 52,68,500. Investigators are examining financial transactions and other evidence linked to the agency’s activities while verifying complaints from additional victims.
Authorities have advised job seekers to carefully verify the credentials of recruitment agencies before making payments or handing over sensitive documents such as passports.
In a separate incident in Thane, police have also registered a case against three persons for allegedly cheating eight people, including a 49-year-old woman, of nearly Rs 16 lakh by promising government jobs in the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC).
According to police, the accused allegedly collected Rs 15.95 lakh from victims over the past year after assuring them of employment with the civic body. However, neither the jobs were provided nor was the money returned.
When the victims sought refunds, the accused allegedly threatened them. Based on a complaint filed by the homemaker, Thane Nagar Police registered a case on July 10 under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal intimidation.