Jajpur, July 19: A 45-year-old man was arrested for allegedly duping several job seekers in the district by promising them employment in the Gulf, police said today.

The arrested person, who has been identified as Anil Kumar Jena of Nosta-Kadampal village in the district, allegedly duped people of Rs 40 lakh. The matter came into light when one Basanta Kumar Giri of Nathapur in the district, who had given money to Anil to get a job abroad, realised that he had been cheated and lodged a complaint with the police.

“Anil came to my house in the second week of April this year and promised me a job in the Gulf. He told me that he would provide me all necessary documents. He demanded Rs 40,000 for them and I paid him instantly. After that he did not give me the documents as promised. Whenever I asked him, he kept buying time,” said Basanta Kumar Giri.

“He came to my house on July 2 and gave me certain documents for my job in United Arab Emirates. I went to Netaji Subash Chandra Bose International Airport in Calcutta to catch a flight to UAE. At the airport, I found out that all the documents, including the air ticket provided to me, were forged. I came back and tried to contact Anil but he avoided my calls,” said Giri.

“The accused had cheated a few other job. We have arrested him yesterday night and are searching for two other accomplices who are still at large,” said Sitikantha Kanungo, inspector in charge of Bari police station.