Tuesday, Jan 07, 2025 11:15 [IST]
Last Update: Tuesday, Jan 07, 2025 05:40 [IST]
SILIGURI,: A woman from Darjeeling, identified as the wife of a Kargil martyr, has been arrested in Siliguri for allegedly duping several people under the pretence of facilitating jobs in Israel.
Bijayta Mukhia, also known as Jessica (45), a resident of Sonada in Darjeeling, had been residing on Nivedita Road in Siliguri. She was arrested on Sunday following a complaint lodged by Anil Lama of Salbari near Siliguri at Pradhan Nagar police station on February 16 last year.
According to the complaint, Mukhia had previously worked in Israel and upon returning to India, began promising caretaker jobs there in exchange for substantial payments.
Anil Lama claimed he paid Rs. 12.7 lakh to Mukhia, expecting her to secure a job for him in Israel. However, after taking the money, she neither facilitated the promised job nor returned the amount, despite repeated attempts to contact her.
Another victim, Shradda Gurung from Darjeeling, alleged that she paid Rs. 6.5 lakh as a deposit for a similar job placement in Israel, but Mukhia failed to deliver on her promise or refund the money.
Bhumi Kafley reported that in 2022, she paid Rs. 3.8 lakh as a visa charge to Mukhia for the same purpose. However, like the others, she received no job placement or refund.
Chandan Sitoula, founder of Gorkha Empowercare Israel and currently based in Israel, expressed concern over the incident. He urged people not to fall prey to such fraudulent schemes and advised them to verify opportunities with reliable and authorized agencies.
