Lucknow,  A Merchant Navy aspirant was duped of Rs 4.5 lakhs by three men who promised him his dream job.

The victim, Sumit Kumar Sonkar of Ashiana locality, was also made to stay in a five-star hotel in Mumbai and then taken for an interview in Delhi by the conmen.

According to police reports, Sonkar was introduced to the prime accused Avanish Singh of Gorakhpur through a common acquaintance when he was in the final years of his Merchant Navy course three years ago.

Avanish took Rs 50,000 from Sonkar as fee for processing his application for the job.

Later Avanish, along with co accomplices Nitish Kumar Singh and Prateek Singh, took Sonkar to the office of Frontline Ship Management Office in Andheri East in Mumbai and introduced him to their 'senior' Ajay Verma.

Sonkar was made to go through an interview and a medical test.

"Later Ajay and Avanish called me inside their chamber and asked to pay Rs 4 lakh for medical, joining fee, surety and for other expenses," the victim said in his complaint.

By June 2019, Sumit paid all the money and was asked to reach Mumbai.

"I stayed in Mumbai for two months and spent Rs 65,000 on food and lodging there. I kept asking Avanish to give the appointment letter. Initially, he dilly dallied and later gave me a fake appointment letter," Sonkar alleged.

Sonkar said the fraud came to light when he contacted the company for which he had been selected and was told that the appointment letter was fake.

"I confronted Avanish and after some time, he agreed to pay back the money. However, I never got a penny back following which I contacted the police," he said.

Prachi Singh, DCP East Zone, said an FIR has been registered in the case a team is working on it.