Kolkata: The port division police arrested a 47-year-old Visakhapatnam resident after uncovering an international job recruitment scam operating from a five-storey building in Garden Reach on Wednesday.
The accused allegedly duped job seekers by promising overseas employment opportunities and providing counterfeit visas in lieu of a large sum of money, ranging between Rs 20,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh.
"The port division cops conducted a raid on Wednesday evening and discovered a well-organised set-up where the perpetrator, along with associates, posed as proprietors of various fictitious companies to deceive people looking for jobs abroad," said Rupesh Kumar, joint CP (crime & traffic).
More concerning was the seizure of original passports belonging to multiple victims, raising suspicions about potential identity theft and other serious crimes.
"We have seized multiple fake visa documents. We are worried since the original passport documents were collected from prospective employers. This could mean that there are possibilities that documents were either sold off or used for other illegal activities. This aspect, too, is under probe," said DC (port) Harikrishna Pai.
The investigators have also seized unauthorised SIM cards, counterfeit seals, and various digital devices. "The scope of this operation appears to be extensive, possibly affecting hundreds," an officer said.