Police have arrested four individuals in Kathmandu Valley for allegedly defrauding job seekers by promising lucrative employment opportunities in various countries, including the United Kingdom and Portugal. The arrests, made on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed complaints from victims who had paid significant sums of money but were left without jobs or refunds, the Nepal Police Central News Room said.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Yogendra Raut Yadav, 41, from Dhanusha; Alisha Madhikarm, 25, residing in Bhaktapur Municipality-4; Haris Singh Mahara, 29, from Darchula and residing in Lalitpur Metropolitan City-14; and Rajesh Prasad Jaiswal, 45, from Bara and residing in Kathmandu Metropolitan City-32.
According to police, Yogendra Raut Yadav allegedly took Rs 300,000 from one victim, promising a job in the UK. Alisha Madhikarm is accused of defrauding a victim of Rs 550,000 with a promise of employment in Dubai. Haris Singh Mahara reportedly took Rs 1,091,000 from a victim for a job in Portugal, while Rajesh Prasad Jaiswal allegedly took Rs 185,000 from another victim for a job in Dubai. The victims reported that the individuals became unreachable after receiving the money.
Increasing fraud and Madhesh Province connection
Incidents of fraud by promising attractive salaries for foreign employment are increasing. The involvement of individuals from Dhanusha and Bara districts indicates that further vigilance and awareness are needed regarding foreign employment fraud in Madhesh Province.
To combat this, the government launched an online complaint system (ujuri.dofe.gov.np) on Shrawan 5 (BS) to streamline the process for victims of foreign employment fraud. Once fully implemented, complaints can also be filed through all 77 district administration offices.
Investigation and next steps
Police from the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, Teku, apprehended Yogendra Raut Yadav in Kathmandu Metropolitan City-11, Alisha Madhikarm in Bhaktapur Municipality-4, and Haris Singh Mahara in Lalitpur Metropolitan City-14 on Tuesday. Rajesh Prasad Jaiswal was arrested on Wednesday in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality-2, Bhaktapur.
All four individuals have been sent to the Department of Foreign Employment, Tahachal, Kathmandu, for further investigation and legal action. The Foreign Employment Act, 2064, prohibits operating foreign employment businesses without a license. The Department of Foreign Employment plans to publish details of new cases, including the names of defendants and the amount defrauded, on its website every three days.
In the fiscal year 2081/82, the Department of Foreign Employment registered 5,632 cases of foreign employment fraud, but only 672 of these cases were resolved.
