Employment Agency Owner Arrested for Deceiving Migrants with Promises of European Immigration and Jobs Matching Their Expertise
Abdullah Qanais: Criminal investigations, represented by the Capital Criminal Investigations Department, have arrested the owner of an employment agency within the governorate, following allegations of fraud and deception against expatriates. The suspect had lured them with attractive job contracts in European countries and promised to secure work visas for them.
According to a security source speaking to Al-Anbaa, approximately 25 expatriates, mostly of Asian nationality, reported to a police station in the capital. They stated that they had seen an advertisement by the company indicating it provided job opportunities in European countries. They met with the company owner, who assured them he could secure jobs and obtain visas in exchange for fees ranging between 2,000 and 2,500 Kuwaiti dinars, depending on their qualifications, provided they held valid passports and residency permits within Kuwait.
The complainants added that they signed contracts confirming the provision of these opportunities, with promises that their cases would be processed within a specific timeframe. However, after waiting for these promises to materialize, they visited the company multiple times without receiving clear answers to their inquiries. They were eventually told not to visit the company again and were assured that they would be contacted once the contracts were ready.
The complainants further stated: “We requested a refund of the amounts we paid, but were told that the money had already been spent on visa processing procedures.”
Following this, investigators conducted the necessary inquiries, which confirmed the validity of the complainants’ statements and established that they had been defrauded. Authorities then contacted the company owner and summoned him, but he refused to appear. Consequently, the Public Prosecution was contacted and ordered his arrest. A team from the Capital Criminal Investigations Department proceeded to apprehend him.
The source stated that the suspect was interrogated and admitted to receiving money from expatriates, claiming he was taking the necessary steps to secure jobs for them but required additional time to complete the process. When asked if he could refund the amounts he had collected, he confirmed that doing so would be difficult. The source did not clarify whether the suspect held an official license to operate an employment agency.
