Mumbai: 190 youths cheated with foreign job promises; 8 held after Union minister Goyal intervenes

Mumbai, Dec 19 (PTI) Eight persons were arrested for allegedly operating a racket that cheated youths after promising them jobs in Russia, South Korea and Turkey, a police official said on Friday.

The 190 victims of the racket hail from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan, the Samta Nagar police station official added.

"The accused lured job aspirants through online advertisements, phone calls and social media posts. They took at least Rs 2.5 lakh from each of the victims along with their passports. They were operating from an office in Kandivali East. After the jobs did not materialise, the victims went to the agency's office and found it shut," he said.

The victims then approached Union Minister and Mumbai North Lok Sabha MP Piyush Goyal, who directed police to promptly arrest the accused, the official said.

"Documents taken from the victims have been returned to them. Several of them sold land and jewellery and took loans to pursue their dream of working abroad," he said.

Union Minister Goyal said swift police action, recovery of passports and relief to the affected victims was a matter of satisfaction. PTI ZA BNM