The General Department of Criminal Investigation arrested an Indian expatriate in Kuwait’s Mubarak Al-Kabeer governorate after more than 25 citizens reported being defrauded through false offers of domestic worker services. According to security sources the suspect operated an Instagram account that presented fake contracts and photographs to mimic a licensed recruitment business. The man collected advance payments ranging from KD300 to KD500 from each victim before blocking all further communication.
Security sources reported that the accumulated complaints led detectives to work with the Cybercrime Department in identifying and detaining the suspect. The ministry’s investigation found that the accused admitted exploiting strong demand for household staff by advertising rates far below those of legitimate operators. Four mobile phones and several SIM cards linked to the scheme were recovered during the arrest the sources added.
This arrest forms part of the Ministry of Interior’s ongoing operations against illegal recruitment and human trafficking. In a related action during October 2025 the Residence Affairs Investigations Department seized a recruitment office in Fahaheel and freed 29 Asian female workers from conditions of forced labor according to the Security Media Department. The ministry referred those involved to prosecution and noted that such crimes endanger community safety.
The Public Authority for Manpower maintains regulated fee structures and licensing requirements for domestic worker recruitment to prevent exploitation. Authority figures show that thousands of visas are processed annually under these controls yet unlicensed online operators persist. Law enforcement has responded with repeated campaigns targeting social media channels used for such scams.
Indian authorities have pursued parallel networks with the Central Bureau of Investigation dismantling a fake Kuwait e-visa operation in February 2026 that issued hundreds of fraudulent documents and job offers to Indian nationals according to a CBI release. That probe involved raids across multiple states resulting in arrests seizures of forged materials and recovery of substantial cash. The cases demonstrate the transnational elements often present in recruitment fraud.
The Indian Embassy in Kuwait has assisted victims in prior instances of irregular recruitment that led to mistreatment and non-payment a September 2026 account in The New Indian Express described. Embassy interventions have facilitated repatriations and supported legal measures against implicated agents. Joint efforts between Kuwaiti and Indian entities have focused on improving verification to reduce vulnerabilities in the labor migration process.
