NEW DELHI, June 18:  Police here have arrested three people linked to a Delhi-based private company which was involved in international job fraud and human trafficking, an official said on Wednesday.

  The Indo Kyrgyz Global Pvt Ltd in Mangolpuri duped over 500 Indian job-seekers by offering them lucrative overseas employment in Kyrgyzstan, he said, adding that the syndicate collected over Rs 4.62 crore from the victims and subjected several of them to coercion and exploitation abroad.

While the director of the company, Mahavir Singh, who is the main accused, is still absconding, the police have arrested his son Sahil Narwal, finance manager Atul Mathur, and HR manager Kamal Kumar, the official added.

In a statement, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Aditya Gautam said, “The matter came to light when Pankaj Kumar Verma, managing director of a human resources consultancy, filed a complaint. He alleged that his company was defrauded of Rs 4.62 crore by the Indo Kyrgyz Global Pvt Ltd, whose representatives had promised large-scale labour deployment in Kyrgyzstan under a contract.”

According to the statement, Mahavir Singh, along with the three arrested accused, had approached Verma in mid-2023.

“To build credibility, they took Verma to Kyrgyzstan where he was shown operational sites and workers. Verma subsequently transferred Rs 4.62 crore for visa facilitation and employment arrangements for around 500 Indian workers. Each worker was promised a one-year contract and a monthly salary of Rs 60,000,” the statement said.

The accused projected legitimate overseas job offers, collected hefty payments and processed partial visas to gain trust.

While 463 visas were processed, the company sent only 346 workers abroad. Once there, many of them were forced to resign, denied salaries, and threatened with physical harm, the police statement said.

“Over 300 workers were later rescued and brought back to India with the assistance of the complainant. However, the accused refused to refund their money,” it read.

Following information about the accused trying to vacate their office in Mangolpuri, a police team raided it on May 21 and apprehended the three suspects, while its director absconded. Police said during the raid, they found evidence of conversations between the accused and the victims, acknowledging receipt of payments. They also seized company agreements, receipts amounting to over Rs 1.24 crore, and bank records showing fund transfers to both company and personal accounts.

According to police, the arrested individuals have confessed to their role in the conspiracy.

Further investigation is underway to identify more victims and uncover the full extent of the fraud, they said.  (PTI)