Woman dupes 51 job seekers with fake Oman offers, arrested

Wayanad: Police have arrested a 59-year-old woman for cheating dozens of job seekers by promising them lucrative jobs in Oman. She is accused of siphoning off lakhs of rupees in the name of visa and other processing expenses.

The accused has been identified as Latha Sunil of Parayullathil House, Vadakara, Kozhikode. The arrest followed a complaint filed by a youth from Arattuthara near Mananthavady, police said in a communique on Sunday.

The investigation has so far found that Latha cheated 51 people, including 21 acquaintances of the complainant. Latha allegedly collected money from job seekers after promising them jobs at a company that was preparing to commence operations in Al Ain, Oman. The victims were offered jobs with a monthly salary of ₹75,000.

A complainant told police that Latha collected ₹65,000 from him in January 2025. She subsequently collected ₹75,000 each from several others through bank transfers, allegedly towards visa processing and other expenses.

The complainant approached the police after Latha failed to arrange the promised visa even by March. During the investigation, police found that the address provided by the accused was fake. No person by that name had been residing at the address for nearly 10 years.

The investigation further revealed that Latha had left for the Gulf after complaints were lodged, following which police issued a lookout notice against her. She was taken into custody in the early hours of Friday after arriving at Calicut International Airport at Karipur on a flight from Muscat.

Police said the number of victims could increase as the investigation progresses. However, many people who lost money are still reluctant to approach the police, as they continue to believe that Latha may eventually arrange the promised visas and jobs for them.

The investigation was led by Sub-Inspectors K Sinsha and P J Reji, Additional Sub-Inspector C V Geetha, Senior Civil Police Officers Rayees and Titus.