Bhubaneswar: Brahmapur police on Sunday arrested a man for allegedly duping around 500 youths by promising them jobs in Singapore, an official said.
The accused, identified as Balaram Maharana, allegedly ran a fake consultancy and collected around Rs 30,000 from each job aspirant on the pretext of arranging passports, air tickets and work permits, police said.
According to police, Maharana and his associates operated a fake agency named ‘Job Track Consultancy and Training Centre’. They allegedly used posters, banners and leaflets to lure unemployed youths with promises of lucrative jobs at Keppel Shipyard in Singapore.
The accused allegedly conducted fake interviews and collected money from nearly 500 job aspirants. To gain their confidence, they reportedly issued passports, fake appointment letters and work permits to more than 190 applicants, police said.
The Brahmapur SP, in a post on X, said the accused had opened a fake consultancy, collected Rs 30,000 per person and issued forged work permits and air tickets.
Police had earlier arrested another key accused, Subrat Kumar Pal, on December 24 last year in connection with the case.
Following his arrest, Maharana was medically examined and, after completion of legal formalities, was produced before a court.
Further investigation into the case is underway, police said.
