Three booked for cheating man of ₹3 lakh with fake job promise in China

Trichy: City police have booked three people including a couple on charges of cheating a man of ₹3 lakh with a fake promise of securing him a job in Macau, China. The man was deported by the Chinese authorities after he landed there without a valid work permit in 2024.Police said the main accused, Venkatesh, runs a manpower agency at Marakkadai. The other two accused were Saravanakumar and his wife.Police said S Karthik of Thanjavur district approached Venkatesh seeking a job abroad in Oct 2023. Venkatesh promised Karthik a job as a security guard in Macau, drawing a monthly salary of ₹1.5 lakh. In return, Venkatesh demanded ₹4.5 lakh as a fee to arrange a work permit, travel, and documentation process.Subsequently, Karthik paid the money. He went to Macau in March 2024, but he was sent back as he did not have vaild documents. When Karthik demanded a refund, Venkatesh returned only ₹1 lakh and deducted ₹50,000 towards expenses, including flight charges. However, the rest of the sum was not returned.Based on a complaint from Karthik’s sister S Vinitha on Saturday, the Fort crime police registered a case and are investigating. No arrest has been made so far.