The Crime Branch has arrested a YouTuber who lured unemployed youth across the country by promising them lucrative jobs abroad. The accused, Sanjay Vishwakarma (33), was allegedly running a YouTube channel offering fake overseas employment opportunities, leading to multiple cases of fraud registered against him in different states including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. He has now been handed over to the Charkop Police for further investigation.
According to police, Sanjay Vishwakarma and his accomplices ran a YouTube channel named Visa Expert Manpower, through which they uploaded videos claiming to help Indian youth secure high-paying jobs abroad. The channel featured contact numbers that potential job seekers could reach out to. Once contacted, the accused would methodically assess the individuals and eventually con them under the pretext of arranging work visas and overseas placements.
In one such case, a complainant, Mohammad Hasan Ghulam Rasool, along with his son Asif and son-in-law Munawar Shaikh, was promised foreign employment and work visas. Vishwakarma and his associate, Abdullah Hussain Alam Shaikh, allegedly duped them of ₹4.09 lakh. Following Rasool’s complaint, a case of cheating was registered at the Charkop Police Station.
While the Crime Branch's Unit 5 team had earlier arrested Abdullah and handed him over to the local police, the main accused Sanjay remained absconding. However, under the guidance of Senior Inspector Ghanashyam Nair and with the efforts of API Jaydeep Jadhav, Tanaji Patil, and Bhauso Pawar, Sanjay Vishwakarma was traced and arrested from Naya Gaon in Vasai using technical and human intelligence inputs.
Police revealed that Vishwakarma used fake identities on YouTube and frequently changed mobile numbers to mislead and defraud people. His YouTube channel had over 6,000 followers, and in a deceptive move to appear genuine, he would even record videos of candidates before allegedly sending them abroad, increasing the credibility of his scam.
Investigations have uncovered that cases of fraud are also registered against him at Navghar Police Station in Bhayander, Sadar Nagaur in Rajasthan, and Sadar Police Station in Haryana. The Crime Branch believes that Vishwakarma and his team may have defrauded over 15 unemployed youth from various states using similar tactics. A deeper investigation is currently underway to uncover the full extent of the racket.