Kathmandu, June 19

Police have arrested a person, who allegedly swindled youths with the promise of securing them employment in cruise ships in Singapore.

Superintendent of Police Sushil Singh Rathaur at Metropolitan Police Crime Division said Pravin Paudel, 34, of Nuwakot district had been operating a training institute named ‘The Apprentice Firm Pvt Ltd’ in Bishalnagar, Kathmandu to defraud unemployed youths.

A special team deployed from MPCD raided a house in Makwanpur district and took him into custody yesterday, based on complaints lodged by victims.

Paudel had been absconding after the victims approached police seeking legal action against him. Preliminary investigation shows that Paudel had swindled more than 300 persons of around Rs 60 million rupees for over a year. He had collected up to Rs 5,00,000 each, from the victims. He collected cash from the youths saying that the money was for their pre-employment trainings in Delhi and Lucknow of India as part of cruise ship job in Singapore. He would convince the unwary youths that they would earn a monthly salary of USD 650, with free accommodation and other benefits, once employed.

“Paudel would also take the youths to Delhi and Lucknow on the pretext of providing them pre-employment training before leaving the victims in the lurch,” SP Rathaur informed. MPCD said it was searching for more persons involved in the fraud racket.

Kathmandu District Court remanded him to five-day judicial custody for further investigation into the case. If convicted, Paudel will be liable to a jail sentence of up to five years along with a fine equivalent to the amount in question.

MPCD has appealed all the victims defrauded by defrauded by Paudel to lodge complaints with it.