STF busts fake maid placement agencies, 2 held

FRAUD Agencies charged six months’ advance, but helps disappeared in 2 days

LUCKNOW: The UP STF on Friday busted an inter-state gang of fraudsters who were operating a dubious company offering maid services, which was registered on various websites. SSP -- STF Abhishek Singh said the two masterminds, Jalal Sheikh, 28, and Heera Sahani, 27, both residents of Madhubani, Bihar -- were arrested from Mahanagar area of Lucknow on Friday. “They had floated over 100 such fake maid service agencies on different websites and had duped more than thousands of people in UP, Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab and J&K,” he said.

LUCKNOW: Think twice before hiring a maid online from agencies registered on different websites, as this can be a trap. The UP special task force (STF) on Friday busted an inter-state gang of fraudsters who were operating a dubious company offering maid services, which was registered on various websites.

SSP -- STF Abhishek Singh said the two masterminds, Jalal Sheikh, 28, and Heera Sahani, 27, both residents of Madhubani, Bihar -- were arrested from Mahanagar area of Lucknow on Friday. “They had floated over 100 such fake maid service agencies on different websites and had duped more than thousands of people in UP, Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab and J&K,” he said.

He said a team led by ASP Triveni Singh had been working on the case for a week.

Explaining the fraudsters’ modus operandi, ASP Singh said they got their agency registered on websites like Quicker, Just Dial, Sulekha etc, using fake addresses and identity proofs. “The websites charged them ₹12,000 for posting their online advertisements for three months. Then, they contacted people who had posted their requirements on these websites. They offered services in three categories -untrained

maids for ₹ 3,500, semi trained maids for ₹ 5,000 and fully trained maids for ₹ 7,000, along with ₹15,000 fees for their agency,” he said.

The ASP said the fraudsters took their fees and six months advance payment in their bank accounts, which were also opened on forged identity proofs. This was done after the contract was signed and the maids were sent to the clients’ houses. “However, the maids disappeared after working for two to three days. The clients could not reach the fraudsters, as all the bank accounts and other details were on forged identities,” he said.

He said the fraudsters brought women from Jharkhand, Assam and West Bengal to pose as maids. The ASP Singh said a similar case was reported by Lucknow resident Subhashni Singh on May 10. “The woman had lodged an FIR with the Mahanagar police station on May 18. She had hired a maid from ‘Ajeet Placement Service Centre’ and paid ₹ 50,000 in the bank account as the agency’s fees and six month advance payment. The maid came to the woman’s house but disappeared after working for two days. The same fraudsters were responsible,” he said.

He said the accused were sent to jail after being booked under charges of fraud and criminal breach of trust.