Vanrai police arrested a 62-year-old Navi Mumbai resident in a foreign job fraud case where aspirants were allegedly cheated of lakhs using social media, fake offices and false promises of overseas employment. Police are searching for other accused linked to the racket
The complainant was lured into the scam after coming across an Instagram page. REPRESENTATION PIC/ISTOCK
The Vanrai police have arrested Michael Vega, 62, a resident of Kamothe in Navi Mumbai, in connection with a foreign job fraud case in which aspirants were allegedly cheated of lakhs of rupees on the pretext of overseas employment. Police are currently searching for other accused involved in the racket.
The case came to light following a complaint filed by Pawan Rajendra Dhamankar, 28, a resident of Andheri West, who works as a customer service specialist at a private firm. Dhamankar told the police that he was lured into the scam after coming across an Instagram page named ‘Tortoise Communication Pvt Ltd’ while searching for overseas job opportunities in April 2024.
After submitting his details on the website, Dhamankar was contacted on WhatsApp by a woman identifying herself as Shraddha Sarang, who invited him to meet at an office in Kandivli West. During the meeting, he was introduced to Vega, who allegedly demanded R4.5 lakh in instalments for arranging a job overseas.
Subsequently, Dhamankar was taken to another office in Goregaon East, where he was introduced to Madhukar Jha, another key accused. Between July 2024 and November 2024, the complainant transferred Rs 1.5 lakh in instalments via UPI to Jha’s bank account, allegedly for job processing, visa appointments, and documentation related to employment in Portugal and other European countries. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was also executed to gain his trust.
However, visa appointments were repeatedly cancelled, and delays continued. In December 2024, Dhamankar was informed that Jha had passed away, following which Vega assured him that the process would be completed. Later, Vega claimed that Jha’s bank account had been frozen due to fraud and began avoiding personal meetings.
By March 2025, all communication had ceased, Vega’s phone had been switched off, and the Goregaon office was found shut. It was then that Dhamankar realised that he had been cheated.
Police investigations revealed that several other job seekers were similarly duped using social media platforms, fake offices, and false promises of overseas employment. Apart from Vega, the accused include Shraddha Sarang, Parvin Sheikh, Vijay Utekar, and other unidentified associates.
The Vanrai police had registered a case of cheating and criminal conspiracy last year. Cops were probing the financial trail, and arrested Vega on Wednesday. “More arrests are expected as the investigation progresses”, said an officer from Vanrai police station.
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