Karachi Job Scam Leaves 59 Women Without Phones

Police in Karachi are investigating an alleged job scam after 59 women were taken to a farmhouse in Gadap with the promise of paid work and later deprived of their mobile phones. The incident unfolded after participants were reportedly told they had been selected for a 25-day assignment at a private housing society along the Superhighway.

According to police details, the women were contacted from different areas of Karachi and offered Rs2,000 per day, along with food and transport. They were told that builders and housing society officials would conduct interviews before the work began, creating the impression of a formal recruitment process.

The participants were transported to the farmhouse in two buses on Wednesday. After lunch, they were asked to hand over their phones on the claim that ringing devices could disturb an expected meeting with a senior official. The phones were collected in a bag before the man accused of taking them allegedly left the venue.

Gadap City police registered a case and arrested two suspects, including a female coordinator. Officers said raids were under way to arrest the alleged organiser and recover the stolen phones. The case was filed under sections related to theft, cheating and common intention.

Police identified one suspect as Waqas, who allegedly booked the farmhouse, while a woman named Nargis was described as a coordinator for the participants. Another man, identified as Sahil Salman, was named as the alleged event organiser. Police said Salman was still being sought as part of the investigation.

The complaint was lodged by Khushnuma Zaib, a resident of Gulistan-e-Jauhar. She told investigators that a friend had contacted her about two months earlier and asked her to submit her CV and video profile for the proposed assignment. She said she was later added to a WhatsApp group after being told she had been selected.

Investigators said separate WhatsApp groups and coordinators had reportedly been used to manage women from different parts of the city. Participants were instructed to reach designated bus stops in the morning before being taken to the farmhouse, where they expected the recruitment process to continue.

The farmhouse manager said the premises had been booked for an event involving around 50 to 55 women and that the booking was made through the required procedure. He said the organiser later claimed he was returning for payment but allegedly disappeared after the phones were collected.

Police said statements from the affected women were being recorded and further information was being gathered about those who arranged the event. The next phase of the investigation is expected to focus on tracing the missing organiser, recovering the phones and determining whether the recruitment offer was designed from the start as a deception.