NEW DELHI: A self-declared manpower agent, reportedly from Lamjung district, disappeared with Rs 1.2 million from four ex-Nepal Army men promising them of jobs in Afghanistan.

The ex-soldiers, who are now stranded in the Indian capital of New Delhi, were promised a monthly salary of USD 1,205 in Afghanistan.

The swindler, who introduced himself as Toya Bahadur Ghale to the ex-soldiers, had promised them the job of security guards.

Ex-soldiers- Gunakhar Neupane of Parwat, Kuldeep Kumar Baniya of Tanahun, Dem Bahadur Khadka of Arghakhanchi and Kalyan Prasad Nepal of Nuwakot-claimed they have paid their agent NRS 3, 57,000, 3, 80,000, 3, 44,000 and 60,000 respectively — to secure visas for Afghanistan.

Nepal said he was aware of the possible foul play by the agent and sought help from one of Khadka’s relatives in New Delhi before paying the fee to the agent.

“We fell in trap because the person whom we trusted and asked to verify the status of our visa wrongly said the visas were genuine ones,” Nepal said.

The victims said they were supposed to fly to Afghan capital on September 29. But 12 hours before their scheduled flight to Afghanistan, the agent who had promised to show up in the departure terminal to help them exit, mysteriously disappeared.

“After finding that the man was conspicuously absconding, we rushed to the

Afghan Embassy in New Delhi when a visa official told us

that our visas were fake,” Neupane said.

The hapless ex-soldiers

said they were preparing to lodge what they said “a first

information report” with

the Delhi police.