Around 200 youths fall victim to fraud

Dhangadhi, March 5 — Around 200 young people from Kailali and Bardiya have fallen victim to a fraudulent scheme. A group tricked them into believing they would be given attractive jobs on a ship, and swindled nearly 40 million rupees.

36-year-old Himanshu Chaudhary from Rajapur Municipality-5, Bardiya, and Manoj Chaudhary from Janaki Rural Municipality, Kailali, have been identified as the key culprits in this scam. They had sent agents to villages to contact the youths.

The group promised training related to water transport at the "Marine Knowledge Academy" in Lucknow, India. In the first phase, a 15-day safety training was conducted a year and a half ago, followed by a second phase of two-month-long training before Dashain in 2024. 

Each victim paid between 200,000 to 500,000 rupees. Some paid in cash, while others made payments via bank checks. After completing the training, they were assured that they would be sent to jobs within 20 days.

However, after a long wait with no job offers, the youths began searching for the scam group. When they captured Himanshu Chaudhary from Bardiya’s Rajapur and demanded answers, he provided checks from various banks and financial institutions. But when these checks bounced, the youths realized they had been scammed.

The group had taken 30 youths to Mumbai, India. Out of them, 21 returned home, but 9 are still stranded. Victim Anurag Tharu mentioned that they were lured with promises of a monthly income of 150,000 rupees. In the hope of a better opportunity, some even left their small businesses or jobs behind.

Many youths had taken loans from financial institutions and cooperatives to pay the amount. Now, unable to secure jobs, they are struggling to pay the interest on their loans.

According to Bishnu Chaudhary from Janaki Rural Municipality-8, they had filed complaints at the Rajapur and Tikapur area police stations, but the police refused to accept their complaints. Later, when they approached the Area Administration Office in Tikapur, they were advised to go to the Department of Labor.

The victims are now seeking justice, but their frustration has increased as they have not received any support from the relevant authorities. They are preparing to pursue legal action.