Jammu, March 27 Jammu and Kashmir Police claimed on Friday to have busted a job fraud and extortion racket, arresting five people, recovering Rs 34 lakhs, and rescuing two victims from captivity at a hotel in Kolkata.
Superintendent of Police, Jammu city south, Ajay Sharma, said the group was involved in luring naive youth by promising them jobs abroad, but subsequently confining them and extorting money from their families.
The case came to light following a complaint filed at Police Station Gandhi Nagar, Jammu, by Jagmohan Singh regarding the wrongful confinement of his son Maninder Singh and his associate Tushar Chib in Kolkata, where unknown individuals were demanding a ransom of Rs 35 lakhs, the officer said.
Acting swiftly, he said a special team was constituted, which proceeded to Kolkata and, through technical surveillance and coordination with local police, traced the accused to a hotel.
On March 21, both victims were safely rescued, and five accused were apprehended, the SP said.
During the investigation, the involvement of two agents based in Jammu came to light, who had lured the victims by promising to arrange work visas abroad, he said.
Sharma said that Rs 34 lakhs had been paid by the victims' family, which has been successfully recovered. Further investigation is underway to uncover the full conspiracy.
Meanwhile, the SP said that three theft cases (two in the Bagh-e-Bahu and one in the Bahu Fort police station areas) had been solved, leading to the arrest of three accused persons and the recovery of stolen property, including 1.2 kg of silver and 17 tola (approximately 198.29 grams) of gold ornaments, worth approximately Rs 30 lakhs.