Gopalganj: Police in Bihar have arrested a man accused of running an extortion racket by posing as an agent who promised to send people abroad for work, seizing 349 passports during a raid on his home.
The accused, identified as Mrityunjay Kumar Singh, also known as Guddu, was detained on Tuesday night from Mathia village under the Hathua police station area in Gopalganj district. Officers recovered 349 passports, two laptops, an Android mobile phone and various documents, including multiple CVs, during a search of the premises.
After questioning on Wednesday, police registered a first information report against Singh and sent him to judicial custody. Speaking at a press conference, the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Hathua, Anand Mohan Gupta, said investigators had received intelligence that Singh was illegally collecting passports from people and extorting money from them by falsely claiming he could arrange overseas employment.
“Acting on specific information, a special raiding team was formed under my supervision along with the station house officer, Shoaib Alam,” Gupta said. “During the search, we found a large number of passports and electronic devices, indicating organised illegal activity related to visas and overseas travel.”
Police allege that Singh had no valid licence to operate as a recruitment or travel agent but was preparing CVs and convincing people, particularly from economically weaker backgrounds, that he could secure them high-paying jobs abroad, mainly in Gulf countries. According to investigators, he would then take possession of their passports and demand substantial sums of money, including additional payments for supposed medical tests and processing fees.
During interrogation, Singh reportedly told police that he had been sending people abroad through a travel agency. Investigators are now trying to establish how he was linked to the agency, what role he played in recruiting candidates, and how much money he earned through the arrangement.
Police have begun compiling a list of those whose passports were seized and plan to question them individually. “We will ask each person how much money was taken from them and which country they were promised employment in,” Gupta said, adding that further arrests were possible as the investigation progresses.
Authorities believe many victims handed over their passports in the hope of securing better livelihoods overseas, only to be exploited and extorted. The case has highlighted ongoing concerns about fraudulent overseas recruitment networks operating in rural parts of the country.
