• Source:JND

Jagran Correspondent, Ahmedabad: Twenty young men and women from Gujarat are stranded in Russia after falling prey to an agent who lured them with promises of lucrative employment. The accused agent, identified as Rippal Patel, based in Petlad, had promised these 20 youths good jobs and high salaries in Russia, charging them between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3 lakh each.

Youths Hailed From Anand, Vadodara

Upon reaching Russia, however, they received neither suitable employment nor adequate food and accommodation. Agent Rippal had promised them work in packaging and tailoring, but to their surprise they did nothing of that sort. Following the agent's scam, they are now stranded in Russia.

Govt Making Efforts To Get Them Back

The governments of Gujarat and India are making efforts to bring them back safely. Meanwhile, the Local Crime Branch (LCB) in Anand, Gujarat, has arrested Agent Rippal Patel. He had previously deceived thirteen people into going to Russia. The victims had returned in distress. The accused had lured these 20 youths with similar false promises. The matter is being investigated by the Gujarat Police.

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In another scam case in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, a resident was swindled out of more than Rs 1.06 crore in a stock trading scam. The victim was reportedly approached by cyber fraudsters who promised substantial returns on investments in the stock market and IPOs.

The duped individual was identified as Lakhan Lal Uike, a retired government official. In April 2025, the elderly received a message from a woman who claimed to be a representative of a trading company. She then added Uike to an investment-related group.

The group claimed to provide daily returns of up to 10 per cent on share trading and IPO investments. Following this, Uike downloaded a trading app on his phone. Initially, he deposited Rs 1 lakh; the app displayed heavy profits within a short span, boosting the man's confidence.

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Fraudsters had told victims to invest by promising shares in pre-listing IPOs and major companies at low prices. The imposters collected crores of rupees by showing share allocations in the names of various companies. When the victim attempted to withdraw the invested amount, they were asked to deposit even more money.

The victims, upon drawing suspicion, tried contacting the numbers. However, all of them were switched off. The investigation revealed that over 100 mobile numbers, fraudulent trading apps, and multiple bank accounts were used to carry out the scam. The police are currently investigating the entire network.


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