Agent gayab as Thane cops give him long rope

Jagdish Kandpal, the blacklisted agent

A woman, whose 26-year-old son has been held captive since mid-August in a fraud factory being run by Chinese scammers along the Thailand-Myanmar border, has accused the Thane police of dragging their feet in a case she has filed against two Indian agents. One of the agents has been blacklisted by the Indian Embassy in Myanmar for his alleged role in the job racket and has gone into hiding. The other has applied for pre-arrest bail.

The Kasarvadavli police in Thane initially refused to register a case, insisting that there was no need for one. After mid-day published the plight of the mother, they booked the agents, identified as Jagdish Kandpal, who is blacklisted, and Jagdish Tiwari, on October 29.

"No action against the accused has allowed sufficient time for both to either apply for the anticipatory bail or go underground. Now, their numbers are not reachable…. And whenever I go to the police station or call them, the cops tell me that the investigations are underway….what investigations have they been doing in the last so many weeks?" the worried mother sought to know.

Also read: Thane police register FIR against Indian agents of Myanmar fake IT job racket

A fraud factory in Myanmar

She said, "My son contacted us on a video call when we were at the police station [on Oct 29]. It proves that these agents are in touch with the Chinese monsters in Myanmar where many Indians are being tortured for not abiding by their rules and not meeting the targets," she said.

"The investigating officer has done nothing to arrest the accused," she added. The woman said no message is getting delivered to her son's Indian WhatsApp number. "I have a strong doubt that he has been kept in a dark room by the Chinese captors as I have registered an FIR against their Indian agents," she said.

The mother said she was particularly disturbed after learning that those confined in a dark room are assaulted with electric batons and given electric shocks. "We're having mental breakdowns thinking about these horrible things but the cops are not doing anything to rescue my son." Kandpal had assured the investigating officer that her son would be brought back to Mumbai on November 12, she said.

‘Why they're left scot-free?'

"I can't understand why the police got convinced with a fake promise by a blacklisted agent! Why did they not immediately arrest and grill them? Why were they left scot-free, who should be held responsible if anything happens to my son? Why did the Thane police allow fraud job agents sufficient time to go underground and apply for bail?" she asked.

Sources said Kandpal plays the health card to evade police action

The woman broke down narrating her plight. "The investigating officer had asked me to wait till November 12. But, today [Friday] is November 11 and I have received no messages from anyone, including the agents and Thane police, regarding when and how my son will be brought back. Can the Thane police feel the pain of a mother?"

When the FIR was registered, Kandpal had told the Kasarvadavli police that he is a heart patient and on medication. After buying time to appear before the cops, he went underground. Sources said the case is being transferred to the Thane Crime Branch.

Have called for CDR: Cop

API Ravindra Phad, the investigating officer, told mid-day, "We have requested for the call data records [CDRs] of the victim and both the agents to understand who they are in touch with." About the delay in their arrest, Phad said, "The blacklisted agent Jagdish Kandpal has gone underground… his cellphones are switched off. The other accused Jagdish Tiwari has approached the court to seek anticipatory bail… I am yet to check if he has secured bail or not."

Sources said Kandpal has a dubious history. "It is not the first time. He has cheated hundreds of people in the past in the name of overseas jobs and education. Most of the time he goes underground and after the matter cools off, he re-appears to cheat people. He has been running an overseas education consultancy in Kurla," said a source.

"Kandpal plays the health card to dodge police crackdown. He is in a live-in relationship with a Goa-based woman and has hideouts in Goa, Karnataka, Kolkata and Mumbai," said the source. Another source said Kandpal has good relations with the cops in Thane. "Recently, he had posted a photo of himself after giving Diwali gifts to police officers."