Police officers in India on Monday arrested 3 men aged 35, 40 and 48 after conning desperate jobseekers Ksh1.6 million (rs 970,000) which was ostensibly supposed to facilitate the securing of plum jobs in Kenya.
According to reports published by media outlets in the Asian country, police officers from Odisha, in Brahmapur, an administrative area situated in the Eastern part of India, narrowed down on the 3 men believed to have swindled the quoted amount from about 20 job seeking Indian nationals.
The victims were apparently informed that they would be securing good jobs at a construction firm in Kenya. The payment, which was supposed to be channelled in advance was to cater for travel and other costs.
According to the police, the men had already processed fake tourist visas and passports to convince the jobseekers.
However, after the victims fulfilled their end of the bargain, the suspects went silent and failed to provide the aggrieved with the travel documents.
In some instances, the suspects are reported to have hurled insults at the victims.
Police arrested the trio who are being detained at a police station in Odisha. Police officers further seized 92 passports, applicant information, screenshots of financial transactions and 20 Kenyan tourist Visas.
The law enforcement officers further revealed that they had received numerous complaints from affected citizens. When further investigations were conducted, police discovered the trio had conned many more Indian nationals in the past.
The officials explained that the trio's modus oparendi involved promising overseas jobs to their victims after which they ask for huge sums of money.
Investigations are still ongoing to determine the authenticity of the said company in Kenya.
This episode is the latest in a string of con games which is partly being driven by the high cost of living which has become a global phenomenon. As reported extensively in the media, con artists have devised new tactics to swindle unsuspecting people.
In most cases, job seekers are asked to pay a fee upfront to secure employment.
In May 2023, Indians raised concerns following an increase in spam calls from foreign numbers including Kenya. The nationals noted that the calls were mostly done through WhatsApp with the callers promising the unsuspecting users jobs
