Nizamabad: A fraudster in Telangana's Nizamabad has duped over 500 unemployed youth of Rs 2 crore in the name of jobs in the Gulf, police said on Monday. Police have registered an FIR into the case while a manhunt has been launched to nab the accused. As per a police official, the accused named Sheikh Bashir opened a consultancy in Ditchpally Mandal six months ago.
He advertised that he would provide employment to the unemployed youth in companies that pay high wages in Dubai, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and other countries. Many unemployed people believed his words and paid him Rs 20,000 to Rs. 50,000 for visa and other documentation.
Also read:Three illegal call centres busted, 37 arrested for duping victims overseas
They also handed over their passports to the accused. As per the victims, the fake agent collected money from more than 500 unemployed youth in Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Jagityala, Nirmal, and Kamareddy districts. He also set up WhatsApp groups with all of them to share information about employment, visa processing and travel plans.
The accused also conducted medical tests on some job aspirants in December last year to win their trust. The agent who said he will issue visas on the 10th of this month deleted all the WhatsApp groups on Sunday night, police said while quoting the victims. When some victims tried to contact him on the cell phone, he was not available.
The victims came to the shop of the accused in Ditchpally on Monday and found it closed. Realizing that they had been cheated, the victims protested in front of the shop and later approached the police. They demanded that the accused be arrested and their money be recovered. Nizamabad ACP Venkateshwar said that a case has been registered against the accused and an investigation initiated based on the complaint of the victims.
