Kathmandu, February 23

Police have arrested a person for allegedly defrauding foreign employment aspirants on the pretext of offering them lucrative jobs abroad.

According to Metropolitan Police Crime Division, Kamal Prasad Pokharel, 52, of Ratuwamai Rural Municipality-6, Morang, was on the run after collecting Rs 3.95 million from 32 persons. Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar Singh said he was nabbed from Teku yesterday.

Pokharel swindled the victims, assuring them of providing lucrative jobs in Portugal and Greece.

The victims, including Gopiram Parajuli, had lodged a complaint with MPCD seeking his arrest.

MPCD said he was handed over to the Department of Foreign Employment for necessary investigation and legal action. The victims were left in the lurch after Pokharel absconded with the cash he collected from them as ‘documentation and visa processing charge’.

The suspect would take the youths into confidence, saying various companies in Portugal and Greece had offered lucrative jobs to Nepali workers with free accommodation facility and other benefits. He would also ask the victims to undergo medical check-up to dispel any doubt.

According to MPCD, Pokharel had been operating the fraud racket individually and was not associated with any authorised outsourcing company abroad. He used to hold their passports and remain out of contact with the victims after collecting money from them. If the victims traced Pokharel’s whereabouts and asked him to return their passports and refund their money, he would issue threats to them.