Mandi – Seven young men from Himachal Pradesh have fallen victim to a fraudulent scheme promising overseas employment, losing Rs 13.70 lakh in the process. The Balh police station in Mandi district has registered a case against two individuals implicated in the scam.
Duni Chand, a resident of Kathyahal village, reported to the police that Sarwan Kumar of Kandayah village in Sundarnagar and Sodhi Ram of Bhadyal village in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, swindled him and his six friends. The scam began in December 2023, when Sarwan Kumar assured the group he could facilitate their move abroad for a fee.
Sarwan Kumar introduced the group to Sodhi Ram, who demanded an initial payment of Rs 20,000 each for passport processing, followed by Rs 3,500 for medical examinations in Jalandhar. Subsequently, each youth paid Rs 2.70 lakh to complete the arrangements. However, after receiving the payments, the accused stopped responding to the victims’ inquiries about their passports and travel arrangements.
Realizing they had been defrauded, Duni Chand and his friends lodged a complaint with the Balh police station. A formal case has been registered against Sarwan Kumar and Sodhi Ram, and an investigation is underway.
