Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Feb 7: The Vanrai police have arrested a 62-year-old man from Navi Mumbai in connection with a foreign job fraud case in which several aspirants were allegedly cheated of lakhs of rupees on the promise of overseas employment.
The accused has been identified as Michael Vega, a resident of Kamothe in Navi Mumbai. Police said efforts are underway to trace and arrest other persons involved in the racket.
The case surfaced after a complaint was filed by Pawan Rajendra Dhamankar (28), a resident of Andheri West, who works as a customer service specialist with a private firm. Dhamankar told police that he was searching for overseas job opportunities in April 2024 when he came across an Instagram page named ‘Tortoise Communication Pvt Ltd’.
After submitting his details, he was contacted on WhatsApp by a woman identifying herself as Shraddha Sarang, who asked him to visit an office in Kandivli West. During the meeting, he was introduced to Vega, who allegedly demanded Rs 4.5 lakh in instalments for arranging a job abroad.
Dhamankar was later taken to another office in Goregaon East, where he was introduced to Madhukar Jha, another key accused. Between July and November 2024, the complainant transferred Rs 1.5 lakh in instalments through UPI to Jha’s bank account for job processing, visa appointments and documentation related to employment in Portugal and other European countries. An MOU was also executed to gain his confidence.
However, visa appointments were repeatedly cancelled and the process kept getting delayed. In December 2024, Dhamankar was informed that Jha had died, following which Vega assured him that the process would be completed. Later, Vega claimed that Jha’s bank account had been frozen due to a fraud case and started avoiding meetings.
By March 2025, all communication stopped, Vega’s phone was switched off, and the Goregaon office was found locked. It was then that the complainant realised he had been cheated.
During investigation, police found that several other job seekers were similarly duped using social media platforms, fake offices and false promises of overseas jobs. Apart from Vega, the accused include Shraddha Sarang, Parvin Sheikh, Vijay Utekar and other unidentified associates.
The Vanrai police had registered a case of cheating and criminal conspiracy last year. Following investigation into the financial trail, Vega was arrested on Wednesday. Police said more arrests are likely as the probe progresses.