Promising the couple an employment opportunity in California, USA

Update: Thimphu police detained a 30-year-old man for larceny by deception and forgery after he allegedly promised a married couple an employment opportunity in California, USA.

According to police, the 22-year-old woman from Wangduephodrang who works as a radio jockey in Thimphu came across a Facebook post on April 6 advertising the requirement for both male and female candidates to work in California. It was also mentioned that free air tickets and visas would be arranged.

The woman added the man as her Facebook friend after seeing the post and availed his mobile number. The woman and her husband then met the suspect who introduced himself as a businessman preparing to leave for the US. As the couple was convinced, they expressed their interest to go with him to the US as they were also told that his sister worked there. The couple provided him all the relevant documents via email.

After a few days, the man asked for Nu 100,000 each to be paid as visa processing fees, which the couple agreed to provide. They met again in the town where the suspect was given Nu 200,000 in cash. Later the couple became suspicious when they were informed that they need not go to Nepal, Kathmandu to attend the visa interview as he was arranging a Skype interview. However, this never happened.

The suspect provided them a bank deposit slip showing that Nu 130,000 was transferred to his visa agent. A few days later, the woman then went to the bank with the deposit slip to verify where she was told that the slip was forged with a duplicate seal and that the account number was also incorrect.

The woman then filed a complaint but she did not have any other details of the suspect other than the mobile number.

Police said that the suspect was called to the police station where he was identified as a 30-year-old unemployed man from Radhi, Trashigang. He admitted to taking the money and that he forged the deposit slip after obtaining a deposit slip from the bank using a duplicate seal.

Police chief Brigadier Kipchu Namgyel said that there could be many more such cases that go unreported. “If there are any other victims of similar modus operandi, they must report to the police so that we can help them,” Brigadier Kipchu Namgyel.

Kinga Dema