In 2 years, Goa police file 18 FIRs, arrest 10 in recruitment fraud cases

Panaji: In the past 24 months, Goa police have registered 18 FIRs related to alleged recruitment frauds and arrested 10 persons. In eight cases, Goa police have already filed chargesheets.

SP crime branch Rahul Gupta said that crime branch conducted a statewide inquiry into the functioning of recruitment agencies operating in Goa, with a specific focus on overseas employment to south east Asian countries.


Gupta said the inquiry was carried out through beat officers of all subdivisions, who conducted field verification, checked office locations, interacted with local sources, and examined the nature of recruitment activities.

“It was found that registered and known recruitment agencies currently operating in Goa are not engaged in recruiting candidates for south east Asian countries. Their operational details and recruitment profiles were verified and recorded,” the SP said.

The inquiry about agencies recruiting in south east Asia was conducted with the purpose of preventing “cyber slavery” of Goans in these countries, Gupta said.

Simultaneously, police conducted verification with regard to suspected illegal recruitment agencies and individuals. In the majority of cases, the addresses were found to be incorrect or non-existent, offices were closed, or no recruitment activity was found at the given locations.

Further, most contact numbers were either switched off, unreachable, or unrelated to recruitment activities. Some individuals contacted clarified that they are not currently involved in overseas recruitment, Gupta said.

“No active illegal recruitment operation came to light during the inquiry. However, given the sensitivity of overseas employment and the risk of exploitation, Beat staff were directed to maintain continuous vigilance and intelligence gathering on any suspected recruitment activity,” the SP said.