Nigerian scam was run through 16 banks
Investigations have revealed that the three conmen, which includes two Nigerians, who were arrested by the Mahim police on November 22 for opening savings accounts in different banks with forged documents, had abused the services of 26 branches of 16 banks across the city.
“Rafiq Islam Saleq alias Pramod Devghare alias Samir Shah, 36, and his two Nigerian associates Daniel Okara, 40, and Johnson Olusemi alias Prince, 46, had opened accounts in Bank of India, United Bank of India, Axis Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, HDFC, HSBC, ICICI, SBI, ING Vyasa, Abhyudaya Bank, Shyamrao Vithal Bank, Corporation Bank, Bank of Baroda, IDBI, and Citibank in Mumbai,” said police inspector Vinay Kulkarni of Mahim police station.
Kulkarni said the police have written to these banks to collect details of the exact amounts duped by these conmen. The Nigerians used to cheat people by sending them e-mails and SMSes stating that they had won millions in foreign lotteries or had been offered a job abroad with a handsome salary in dollars.
After striking a deal with the victims, the accused would ask them to deposit commissions in bank accounts opened by them in fictitious names. The incident came to light when Tarun Jain, manager of Mahim branch of ICICI Bank, nabbed Devghare when he came to the bank to open a saving account with forged documents.
“Rafiq Islam Saleq alias Pramod Devghare alias Samir Shah, 36, and his two Nigerian associates Daniel Okara, 40, and Johnson Olusemi alias Prince, 46, had opened accounts in Bank of India, United Bank of India, Axis Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, HDFC, HSBC, ICICI, SBI, ING Vyasa, Abhyudaya Bank, Shyamrao Vithal Bank, Corporation Bank, Bank of Baroda, IDBI, and Citibank in Mumbai,” said police inspector Vinay Kulkarni of Mahim police station.
Kulkarni said the police have written to these banks to collect details of the exact amounts duped by these conmen. The Nigerians used to cheat people by sending them e-mails and SMSes stating that they had won millions in foreign lotteries or had been offered a job abroad with a handsome salary in dollars.
After striking a deal with the victims, the accused would ask them to deposit commissions in bank accounts opened by them in fictitious names. The incident came to light when Tarun Jain, manager of Mahim branch of ICICI Bank, nabbed Devghare when he came to the bank to open a saving account with forged documents.
‘Dubai dream’ job scam dupes 300 in Gujarat
Around 300 people are believed to have been cheated by a fraud who, promising the victims jobs in the Gulf, collected Rs1.25 crore from them, and has now disappeared. The scam was discovered on Monday when 100 people turned up at the Passport Office in Ahmedabad with photocopies of ‘visas’ that the conman, named Chetan Mehta, and his female accomplice had given them.
The victims said they had each paid Mehta Rs42,500 for jobs at Safeer Mall in Dubai and at other places in the emirate city. In return, Mehta had given the victims a photocopy of their ‘original visas’ which, he said, they would receive when they reached Dubai. The photocopies were, of course, fake.
The victims said that after collecting money for them, Mehta had called the job-seekers to the Passport Office in Ahmedabad, on different dates. He had called around 100 applicants to the Passport Office on Monday for completion of immigration formalities, said the victims.
The applicants arrived at the Passport Office at 11 am on Monday and waited for Mehta till 1 pm. After that, they tried to contact him on his mobile phone but soon realised that they had been cheated.
One of the victims, Akbar Ghanchi, told DNA that Mehta had started his scam by placing an advertisement in the newspapers on January 6, 2010, offering jobs in the United Arab Emirates.
He had opened an office, Cross World, at Aniket Complex, CG Road in Navrangpura. When people arrived from all across the state, he first asked them for their passport details, and then completed the formalities for a visa.
“He showed us a photocopy of our visa and told us that its original will be handed over to us at Dubai airport,” Ghanchi said. “He took Rs42,500 from each one of us.”
Another victim, Amit Gamit, told DNA that Mehta had called the job-seekers to the Passport Office in Ahmedabad in batches on January 11, 12 and 13, to complete the immigration formalities.
According to the victims, Mehta had cheated around 300 people, 80 of whom are believed to be women.
“We showed him our passport and gave him all the details required for a visa,” said another victim, Shailesh Patel. “Later, he showed us a photocopy of our visa, and charged money from us.”
Patel said the photocopy had all the details of a visa, which is why the victims had failed to realise that it was a fake.
The Navrangpura police have registered a case of fraud and are investigating the matter. Senior police inspector, Navrangpura police station, PM Parmar, told DNA that the police had, so far, got the names of only 15 victims. “It seems that only around 45 people were cheated, but the number of victims may increase,” he said.
Parmar said the police were trying to find Mehta.
The victims said they had each paid Mehta Rs42,500 for jobs at Safeer Mall in Dubai and at other places in the emirate city. In return, Mehta had given the victims a photocopy of their ‘original visas’ which, he said, they would receive when they reached Dubai. The photocopies were, of course, fake.
The victims said that after collecting money for them, Mehta had called the job-seekers to the Passport Office in Ahmedabad, on different dates. He had called around 100 applicants to the Passport Office on Monday for completion of immigration formalities, said the victims.
The applicants arrived at the Passport Office at 11 am on Monday and waited for Mehta till 1 pm. After that, they tried to contact him on his mobile phone but soon realised that they had been cheated.
One of the victims, Akbar Ghanchi, told DNA that Mehta had started his scam by placing an advertisement in the newspapers on January 6, 2010, offering jobs in the United Arab Emirates.
He had opened an office, Cross World, at Aniket Complex, CG Road in Navrangpura. When people arrived from all across the state, he first asked them for their passport details, and then completed the formalities for a visa.
“He showed us a photocopy of our visa and told us that its original will be handed over to us at Dubai airport,” Ghanchi said. “He took Rs42,500 from each one of us.”
Another victim, Amit Gamit, told DNA that Mehta had called the job-seekers to the Passport Office in Ahmedabad in batches on January 11, 12 and 13, to complete the immigration formalities.
According to the victims, Mehta had cheated around 300 people, 80 of whom are believed to be women.
“We showed him our passport and gave him all the details required for a visa,” said another victim, Shailesh Patel. “Later, he showed us a photocopy of our visa, and charged money from us.”
Patel said the photocopy had all the details of a visa, which is why the victims had failed to realise that it was a fake.
The Navrangpura police have registered a case of fraud and are investigating the matter. Senior police inspector, Navrangpura police station, PM Parmar, told DNA that the police had, so far, got the names of only 15 victims. “It seems that only around 45 people were cheated, but the number of victims may increase,” he said.
Parmar said the police were trying to find Mehta.
TVU claims not involved in scam, blames Indian-origin staffer
As radio-tagging of scores of Indian students duped by a "sham" US university continues to cause anger back home, the controversial institute has claimed that one of its Indian-origin staff was responsible for the immigration fraud and it was not directly involved in it.
Breaking its silence, the California-based Tri Valley University (TVU), which was shut down last month, termed as "baseless" the allegations of immigration fraud against the institute and claimed that it had not duped any student.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) brought "this baseless allegation and put a red-tape in the school operation for a federal investigation, causing hundreds of students to withdraw from classes (and) many instructors requested to quit teaching for the current term.
"Also, it caused a profitable university operation to quickly sink into negative in financial debt," Susan Su, president and founder of the TVU, said in an e-mail.
"Starting in April, one of student assistants Anji Reddy, who worked in TVU administrative office, teamed with another student Ram Krista Karra, who also has a consultant company, conducting a large cheating scheme by asking students to make tuition payment into Ram Krista Karra's personal account in exchange for student I-20 and CPT approval. TVU has fired these two individuals," the e-mail said.
The complaint against TVU before the ICE was made by these two, Su claimed.
Hundreds of Indian students were facing deportation and their academic career was in limbo due to the closer of the university by the ICE. Many of them were also forced to wear radio collars around their ankles so that US authorities can keep track of their movements.
India has taken up the matter with the State Department and other concerned US officials, asking them to ensure that none of the Indian students is victimised.
External affairs minister SM Krishna termed the radio-tagging of the students as an "inhuman act" and demanded severe action against those responsible.
State department spokesperson PJ Crowley has, however, said ankle monitors are used across the US as part of a standard procedure for a variety of investigation and that this does not necessarily imply guilt or suspicion of criminal activity.
The US has taken very seriously the alleged immigration scam of Tri Valley University in California, which has mainly affected Indian students, he told reporters yesterday.
"We take these allegations of immigration and visa fraud very seriously. These allegations are an excellent example of the universally damaging effects of visa fraud," he said.
Breaking its silence, the California-based Tri Valley University (TVU), which was shut down last month, termed as "baseless" the allegations of immigration fraud against the institute and claimed that it had not duped any student.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) brought "this baseless allegation and put a red-tape in the school operation for a federal investigation, causing hundreds of students to withdraw from classes (and) many instructors requested to quit teaching for the current term.
"Also, it caused a profitable university operation to quickly sink into negative in financial debt," Susan Su, president and founder of the TVU, said in an e-mail.
"Starting in April, one of student assistants Anji Reddy, who worked in TVU administrative office, teamed with another student Ram Krista Karra, who also has a consultant company, conducting a large cheating scheme by asking students to make tuition payment into Ram Krista Karra's personal account in exchange for student I-20 and CPT approval. TVU has fired these two individuals," the e-mail said.
The complaint against TVU before the ICE was made by these two, Su claimed.
Hundreds of Indian students were facing deportation and their academic career was in limbo due to the closer of the university by the ICE. Many of them were also forced to wear radio collars around their ankles so that US authorities can keep track of their movements.
India has taken up the matter with the State Department and other concerned US officials, asking them to ensure that none of the Indian students is victimised.
External affairs minister SM Krishna termed the radio-tagging of the students as an "inhuman act" and demanded severe action against those responsible.
State department spokesperson PJ Crowley has, however, said ankle monitors are used across the US as part of a standard procedure for a variety of investigation and that this does not necessarily imply guilt or suspicion of criminal activity.
The US has taken very seriously the alleged immigration scam of Tri Valley University in California, which has mainly affected Indian students, he told reporters yesterday.
"We take these allegations of immigration and visa fraud very seriously. These allegations are an excellent example of the universally damaging effects of visa fraud," he said.
Two held for issuing fake Afghan visas to Nepali job seekers
Officials of the Malabar Hill police station have arrested two people for giving fake Afghan visas to Nepali job seekers. This has led to fears that they may also be sending people for terror training in Afghanistan.
The duo was identified as Jamil Ahmed, 38, and Abdul Rahim Ghaswalla alias Mohammad Rao Miya Abdul Rahim Miya, 38.
The scam came to light when the complainant, Vishnukumar Suman, 35, approached the Afghanistan consulate to verify the validity of 10 visas given to him by the two.
According to investigating officer Ganesh Rekulwad, Ahmed approached Suman two months ago. He told him that a new American company in Afghanistan was looking for 600 helpers and each would be paid $700. He asked Suman to send people he knew in his home country, Nepal, to Afghanistan for the jobs.
Thirty-one people from Suman’s native place gave him their passports. “A few days later, Ahmed returned with 10 visas and asked Suman for the money. Suman took the visas to the Afghanistan consulate to check if they were original. It was then that he realised that the visas were forged,” Rekulwad said.
Deputy police commissioner Anil Kumbhare said to DNA, “Suman was supposed to meet Ahmed at Mumbai Central on Monday. The police laid a trap and he was arrested. Ahmed revealed the location of Mohammad, who was then arrested at VP Road.”
The duo was identified as Jamil Ahmed, 38, and Abdul Rahim Ghaswalla alias Mohammad Rao Miya Abdul Rahim Miya, 38.
The scam came to light when the complainant, Vishnukumar Suman, 35, approached the Afghanistan consulate to verify the validity of 10 visas given to him by the two.
According to investigating officer Ganesh Rekulwad, Ahmed approached Suman two months ago. He told him that a new American company in Afghanistan was looking for 600 helpers and each would be paid $700. He asked Suman to send people he knew in his home country, Nepal, to Afghanistan for the jobs.
Thirty-one people from Suman’s native place gave him their passports. “A few days later, Ahmed returned with 10 visas and asked Suman for the money. Suman took the visas to the Afghanistan consulate to check if they were original. It was then that he realised that the visas were forged,” Rekulwad said.
Deputy police commissioner Anil Kumbhare said to DNA, “Suman was supposed to meet Ahmed at Mumbai Central on Monday. The police laid a trap and he was arrested. Ahmed revealed the location of Mohammad, who was then arrested at VP Road.”
Police nab kingpin of BARC job racket
The Thane rural policeclaims to have busted a recruitment racket promising jobs in the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) at Tarapur, by arresting eight persons including a contractor on Friday.
“We arrested Mahendra Pawar, 27, Amit Sawant, 30, Mahesh Mhatre, 34, Shyam Mhatre, 34, Manoj Gujar, 31, Sudam Khemekar, 42, Neelkanth Sawant, 31, and Maruti Pawaskar, 38 for cheating and forgery and recovered all the forged documents including appointment letters from them,” said inspector Sriram Mullemwar of Tarapur police station, adding thatthey were remanded to police custody till Monday by the court.
During interrogation, it was revealed that Satara-based Mahendra Pawar, the kingpin of this job racket had promised jobs to seven people in BARC, on payment of Rs40,000 each. The matter came to light when some people approached the security office of BARC colony at Tarapur seeking entry as new recruits for Class IV category jobs.
However when security scrutinised their appointment letters signed by BARC officials they found several mistakes and informed the police. Their arrest helped the policenab Pawar, who had earlier worked as a contract labour for BARC.
This is the second such incident in the past nine months.
In November 2009, two contract labourers attempted to steal computer spare parts from the BARC complex at Tarapur.
However, CISF personnel who were guarding the premier automatic research center, nabbed them red handed and foiled their attempt.
“We arrested Mahendra Pawar, 27, Amit Sawant, 30, Mahesh Mhatre, 34, Shyam Mhatre, 34, Manoj Gujar, 31, Sudam Khemekar, 42, Neelkanth Sawant, 31, and Maruti Pawaskar, 38 for cheating and forgery and recovered all the forged documents including appointment letters from them,” said inspector Sriram Mullemwar of Tarapur police station, adding thatthey were remanded to police custody till Monday by the court.
During interrogation, it was revealed that Satara-based Mahendra Pawar, the kingpin of this job racket had promised jobs to seven people in BARC, on payment of Rs40,000 each. The matter came to light when some people approached the security office of BARC colony at Tarapur seeking entry as new recruits for Class IV category jobs.
However when security scrutinised their appointment letters signed by BARC officials they found several mistakes and informed the police. Their arrest helped the policenab Pawar, who had earlier worked as a contract labour for BARC.
This is the second such incident in the past nine months.
In November 2009, two contract labourers attempted to steal computer spare parts from the BARC complex at Tarapur.
However, CISF personnel who were guarding the premier automatic research center, nabbed them red handed and foiled their attempt.
Indians seeking 'dream jobs' in Malaysia fall prey to agents
Indians seeking "dream jobs" in Malaysia continue to be cheated, duped and abandoned, amid warnings from officials to check out their recruitment agents before accepting offers of high paying jobs.
At least 24 Indian nationals, some of them graduates, are currently waiting to return to India after finding to their dismay that promises of high paying jobs by agents turned out to be bogus claims.
"One of the persons who was a hotel management graduate found that he had to work at a McDonalds' outlet for 12 hours.. not what he had been promised," sources said.
The Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur has been continuously urging potential job seekers to check out their job agents at both ends before entrusting huge sums of money to get a job.
In another instance, highlighted by a local daily here, an Indian national who came here in 2009 was not only cheated of her salary, but her misery allegedly drove her daughter in India to commit suicide.
Latha Shanmugam, 37, a widow from Thanjavur, was employed by a local family when she first came to Kuala Lumpur with a promised salary of RM 750 a month (Rs10,000).
However, the employers purportedly held back her salary for four months, claiming that they had to pay RM 5,000 to her employment agency.
The family then chased her out of the house and told her to contact the agency. She later found another job at a restaurant for the same salary but was paid only for one month.
Her new employer paid her wages for the first month but allegedly refused to give her any salary for the ensuing six months.
One of her daughters studying in India wanted her mother to send some money for tuition but when Latha was unable to do that she apparently committed suicide, local Tamil daily Makkal Osai said.
Latha said she was being helped by a social worker who was making arrangements to send her back to India.
Ethnic Indians, a bulk of them Tamils, form eight per cent of Malaysia's population of 27 million people.
At least 24 Indian nationals, some of them graduates, are currently waiting to return to India after finding to their dismay that promises of high paying jobs by agents turned out to be bogus claims.
"One of the persons who was a hotel management graduate found that he had to work at a McDonalds' outlet for 12 hours.. not what he had been promised," sources said.
The Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur has been continuously urging potential job seekers to check out their job agents at both ends before entrusting huge sums of money to get a job.
In another instance, highlighted by a local daily here, an Indian national who came here in 2009 was not only cheated of her salary, but her misery allegedly drove her daughter in India to commit suicide.
Latha Shanmugam, 37, a widow from Thanjavur, was employed by a local family when she first came to Kuala Lumpur with a promised salary of RM 750 a month (Rs10,000).
However, the employers purportedly held back her salary for four months, claiming that they had to pay RM 5,000 to her employment agency.
The family then chased her out of the house and told her to contact the agency. She later found another job at a restaurant for the same salary but was paid only for one month.
Her new employer paid her wages for the first month but allegedly refused to give her any salary for the ensuing six months.
One of her daughters studying in India wanted her mother to send some money for tuition but when Latha was unable to do that she apparently committed suicide, local Tamil daily Makkal Osai said.
Latha said she was being helped by a social worker who was making arrangements to send her back to India.
Ethnic Indians, a bulk of them Tamils, form eight per cent of Malaysia's population of 27 million people.
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