Gorakhpur/Lucknow: In a joint operation involving police, intelligence, and administrative agencies, authorities rescued 453 Nepalese youths, including young men and women, from an alleged job scam and illegal training network operating in Kushinagar district. Eight persons were arrested in connection with the case, while the alleged mastermind remains absconding.The operation was launched after several victims contacted the Nepal Embassy in New Delhi through social media platform X, alleging were lured to India on the promise of employment, but were instead confined and exploited.According to police, the gang targeted economically weaker and less educated individuals from various parts of Nepal, enticing them to travel to Kushinagar on the pretext of employment and educational opportunities. Once they arrived, the targets were duped into paying money for training, registration and other processing charges.According to police, each victim was allegedly charged between Rs 70,000 and Rs 1 lakh on the pretext of providing professional training and job placement services. Many of them had reportedly been staying in Kushinagar since Jan while undergoing what was described as training for prospective jobs.Following the complaints, a team from the Nepal Embassy, led by Ambika Joshi, SSP Pranesh Mall, and Sahara Chapa Gayatri, visited Kushinagar and held meetings with district administration and police officials. Subsequently, a joint team comprising the Special Task Force (STF), Crime Branch, Special Operations Group (SOG), Surveillance Cell, and local police conducted raids at a facility operating under the name Vince Pyre World Company on Sapaha Road in Kasya town.However, by the time the teams reached the premises, the alleged operator had already fled after shutting down the centre.Kushinagar SP Keshav Kumar said investigators later traced the victims to several rented accommodations in the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Nagar area of Kasya.Police recovered nine forged Aadhaar cards, 60 bond papers, a laptop, gold rings, Rs 60,320 in Indian currency and Nepali currency worth Rs 14,290 from the accused.Police further alleged that the racket used forged documents purportedly linked to reputed companies and, in some cases, arranged Indian Aadhaar cards to gain the confidence of Nepalese nationals and draw them deeper into the network. The victims were then allegedly subjected to sustained financial exploitation.Among those arrested were Nepali nationals Deepak Thapa, Om Prakash Chaulagai, Nima Sherpa, Ganesh Khatri, Sojanya Santan, Gyanendra Yadav and Vishal Tamang, along with Sarvesh Pratap Rao, a resident of Parsouna in Kasya. Two women allegedly linked to the racket were also taken into custody.During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to being part of an organised international network that targeted vulnerable individuals through forged documents and false promises of jobs, education and financial gains.Police have registered a case under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched a manhunt to trace other members of the syndicate.
