Youngsters promised shipping jobs in Dubai, but forced to work as labourers in Iran, FIR against 3 of firm
Gupta was flown to Sharjah on a tourist visa on December 17, 2024, and was kept in a guest house with 10–12 other young men for nearly a month, before being taken to Iran in January 2025 under promises of joining a ship.
3 min read
An officer from Amboli police station said that so far they have four complainants in the case and have issued notice to the accused to join the investigation.
An FIR was filed against three employees of an Andheri-based shipping company on Monday after it emerged that at least four men from different states were allegedly defrauded by the firm by promising them high-paying shipping jobs in Dubai but leaving them stranded doing menial labour work in Iran, allegedly asking them to “work there or die”.
According to a complaint filed in February by Rameshwar Gupta (25), from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, he came to Mumbai in September 2024 in search of a maritime job, after completing pre-sea training course from a Varanasi-based college. Gupta sent his resume to Crystal Ship Management company via email in November that year and received a call the next day from the company for an interview at their Andheri West office.
At the Andheri office, Gupta was interviewed by a man named Sohail (25), who said the company was led by “Captain Mohit alias Momin Chauhan”. Sohail told Gupta that he had been selected for a shipping job in Dubai and would need to pay Rs 5 lakh, including an upfront fee of Rs 50,000. Till February 2025, Gupta paid Rs 4.5 lakh to the company.
Gupta was flown to Sharjah on a tourist visa on December 17, 2024, and was kept in a guest house with 10–12 other young men for nearly a month, before being taken to Iran in January 2025 under promises of joining a ship.
In Iran, Gupta met Yash Chauhan (22), who shared a similar story. Both were taken to a location where they were forced to do manual labour along with other young men from India. According to Gupta, when they attempted to contact Sohail and Captain Chauhan for help, Sohail allegedly told them to “work there or die”.
After being stranded at Shiraz Airport in Iran for three days without help, Gupta and Chauhan finally managed to return to India with financial assistance from their families. Once back in Mumbai, they confronted the company at its office where they were allegedly threatened with fake sexual harassment cases. Eventually when they came to the Amboli police station, they met another person from Karnataka who was duped in a similar manner.
After an investigation, personnel at Amboli police station on Monday registered an FIR against Sohail, Mohit Chauhan and Siraj of the shipping company.
An officer from Amboli police station said that so far they have four complainants in the case and have issued notice to the accused to join the investigation.
You May Like
Photos
