Two men from Karnataka have been arrested by the Goa Police on charges of operating a fraudulent recruitment agency that deceived job seekers with enticing offers to work abroad, only to place them in scam call centers in Cambodia and Thailand.
The suspects who were identified to be Nashir Ahamad Tigadi of Belagavi and Mohammad Haji of Vijapura, were arrested after the police received complaints from victims who had fallen into the trap of the two. According to their complaints, the victims were promised high-paying jobs but found themselves trapped in fraudulent operations. According to the state police, the investigation into the case commenced after they received two similar complaints from three individuals who claimed that the accused were running a recruitment firm in Mumbai, promising lucrative jobs with a monthly salary of ₹1 lakh.
“Upon his arrival at Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 11 April 2024, the victim was taken to ‘Dana Technologies,’ a company involved in fraudulent activities, including creating fake social media accounts to lure potential victims into cryptocurrency trading scams. This victim came back in May 2024,” the police reported that one of the victims reported that upon arriving in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on April 11, 2024, he was taken to Dana Technologies, a company engaged in illegal activities, including creating fake social media accounts to lure people into cryptocurrency trading scams. The victim managed to return home in May 2024.
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Two other victims were misled with job offers purportedly for a casino company in Thailand. They departed on February 14, 2024, only to find themselves working at a call center in Cambodia.“They came back to Goa in March 2024 after making medical excuses,” police revealed the two individuals returned in March 2024, citing medical reasons.
Superintendent of Police (Crime) Rahul Gupta stated, “Efforts are on to trace other accused persons to uproot the illegal network of recruitment. Mobile phones of the accused have been recovered with incriminating evidence.”
In a broader advisory, the state police urged family members of individuals working in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam to verify the safety and whereabouts of their relatives. The police also called on those involved in cyber crimes in these countries to return immediately, warning that failure to comply would result in legal action initiated by the Goa Police. “Failure to do so will result in legal action initiated by the Goa Police,” Gupta said.
