The Gadap job interview scam took a dramatic turn on Tuesday when the main suspect was attacked by several of the women he is accused of defrauding as police brought him to a Karachi court. The Malir judicial magistrate later granted police a one-day physical remand of the suspect, who is accused of luring dozens of women to a farmhouse on the promise of employment and making off with their mobile phones. The allegations have not been proven in court.
What Happened at the Court Hearing
According to Dawn’s report, the suspect had been arrested on Monday and was presented before the magistrate on Tuesday. The investigating officer told the court that mobile phones had been recovered from the suspect’s possession but that more were still to be found, and that the suspect’s accomplices remained at large. On that basis, he sought physical remand of the suspect, which the court approved for one day.
A number of the affected women were present at the premises. In a video seen by Dawn, the women can be seen asking police to show the suspect’s face, gathering around him and then beating him with slippers and slapping him. As he tried to move away, the group chased him until police took him inside a room. The report did not describe any injuries.
While the anger of the victims is understandable, the incident also highlights the responsibility of the police and court staff to secure those in custody, whatever the allegations against them, so that the case can proceed through proper legal channels.
How the Gadap Job Interview Scam Unfolded
The scam was first reported at the start of October. Dawn reported on October 1 that organisers of a purported job fair at a farmhouse in the Gadap area had collected the phones of 51 women on the pretext of ensuring fairness during interviews, and then fled. The Gadap City station house officer said at the time that a large number of women had been brought to the farmhouse in two buses, and that no arrests had been made. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah ordered the immediate arrest of those responsible.
By the time of the arrest, the number of victims cited by police had risen to 59. Malir Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Abdul Khaliq Pirzada told Dawn that police had arrested the prime suspect on Monday on a tip-off while he was on his way to sell 40 mobile phones, in what the SSP described as an attempt to destroy evidence. Police had earlier arrested three other people in connection with the case. They included the man who booked the farmhouse, the event coordinator and a man who allegedly helped the main suspect escape on a motorcycle after the phones were taken.
Allegations Against the Main Suspect
Pirzada said the suspect had created a WhatsApp group and placed job advertisements to attract the women, allegedly with the help of the event coordinator. He then hired a bus to take them to the farmhouse. According to the SSP, the suspect had introduced himself to the women under a different first name than his real one, and he told investigators that he planned the robbery after watching movies. These statements are police claims and have yet to be tested at trial.
Police said they had recovered 40 of the mobile phones stolen from women, and had clues that the remaining 19 were in the possession of another absconding suspect, whom they were making concerted efforts to arrest.
Charges and Next Steps
A first information report was registered at the Gadap City police station on the complaint of one of the victims. It invokes Section 379 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which covers punishment for theft, Section 420, which addresses cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, and Section 34, which deals with acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention.
With the one-day physical remand of the suspect now granted, investigators are expected to use the time to recover the outstanding phones and trace the absconding accomplice. Once the remand ends, the suspect will have to be produced before the court again, where the magistrate will decide whether to send him to judicial custody or grant further remand.
The case has drawn attention to the risks of unverified job advertisements circulated through messaging groups. Applicants are advised to confirm the legitimacy of a recruiter before attending an interview, and to be wary of any request to surrender personal belongings, including mobile phones, as a condition of entry.
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