The office on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

A racket has cheated about 300 unemployed youths in the city of nearly Rs 1 crore by promising them jobs in West Asia.

Aftab Alam, a resident of Beniapukur, and his accomplices took between Rs 20,000 and Rs 35,000 from the youths over two years, said deputy commissioner (south) Rajesh Subarno.

Mohammad Shoaib, 30, was arrested in this connection, but Alam, 39, is absconding.

The racket came to light on Monday evening when about 40 youths went to Alam’s office at 47 Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road for their visas. The men tried to ransack the office after not finding Alam. Officers from Park Street police station brought the situation under control and asked the youths to lodge complaints.

A probe revealed that Alam had opened the office around two years ago. He and Shoaib had even advertised in newspapers, claiming that their agency was recognised by the central labour ministry.

“The office belongs to Shoaib. He and Alam had planned to go into hiding after making a killing,” said an officer of Park Street police station.

Hundreds of unemployed people, aged between 25 and 35, had approached the agency hoping to go to West Asian countries as labourers.

“The members of the racket collected between Rs 20,000 and Rs 35,000 as advance payment from 300 people and assured them that they would get their visas in January,” added the officer. “To make the matter look genuine, they even arranged for medical check-up of the applicants in a nursing home on Elliot Road.”

Alam hails from Uttar Pradesh and has been living in Beniapukur for over five years, while Shoaib lives with his family on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road.