Kendrapara: Many unemployed youths of Kendrapara district have been cheated of their money by agents promising jobs abroad.
Such a case has come out in Aul and Rajnagar blocks now. Some youths have approached the Rajkanika police after they were cheated by a local agent who collected Rs 7.20 lakh from them promising jobs in the Al Mahri Engineering Co. LLC in Kuwait as plumbers.
IIC Bijay Kumar Mallick of Rajkanika police station said Biswajit Swain, a resident of Dalikainda, collected Rs 60,000 each from 12 unemployed youths of Aul and Rajnagar promising them jobs in the Kuwait-based company as plumbers with a handsome monthly package with the help of a Cuttack-based agent last November.
As Swain had earlier worked in Qatar, and as he had a good relationship with local youths who were working abroad, the unemployed youths believed him. Swain took Rs 60,000 each in two instalments, said Kirtan Mohanty, an unemployed youth of Naladia.
Swain managed to gain the confidence of the youths and assured them that they can join work within 15 days.
He gave them offer letters and collected Rs 30,000 each from them. Later, he gave three months visa (valid from 19-12-2018 to 17-03-19) and flight tickets and collected another Rs 30,000. He also took the youths for medical check-ups.
Swain provided flight tickets to go to Kuwait from Mumbai January 9, 2019. After that he came to the village and told the youths that due to some problem at the Kuwait-based company, he had cancelled the tickets and requested them to wait for a few days.
After some days he gave them flight tickets to go from Mumbai to Kuwait January 25. But January 24 when they telephoned him he did not respond, said Subrat Das of Aul.
The youths later checked the flight tickets and found they were fakes. Later, they verified the visa and offer letters and found they too were forged.
Swain confessed that he had made fake visas, offer letters and air tickets, said Kirtan Mohanty, a youth who was cheated.
Eleven of the duped youths were from Rajnagar block and one belonged to Aul block. Of the 11 from Rajnagar, eight were from Naladia village, two from Katakana village and one from Ostia village. Another youth belonged to Tulashisasan village, said Bhagabat Rout, a duped youth.
The youths asked the local agent to return their money, but when he did not pay they approached the Rajkanika police. Sarat Chandra Mohanty, who is one of the cheated youths, Thursday lodged an FIR against Swain at Rajkanika police station.
Police registered a case under Section 420 of IPC and launched an inquiry. No arrests have been made so far. A hunt is on for the culprit, said IIC Mallick.
“We are worried as we gave the Rs 60,000 by borrowing money. Moneylenders have started demanding their money back. We requested the police to get our money back from the local agent,” said the youths.
PNN