The crime branch of Ahmedabad police has arrested three persons for allegedly duping 81 job seekers from three states by making false promises of getting them government jobs. The scam unearthed by the police points to cheating to the tune of Rs 3.25 crore.
The accused have been identified as Ravi Pratap Rawat, Harish Prajapati and Puja Thakor. Their two accomplices are on the run. They have been charged with offences under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust),420 (cheating) and 465 (forgery) of the Indian Penal Code as well as sections of the Information Technology Act.
Reporting the scam today, the police said that the accused promised job aspirants employment opportunities in the police, military, revenue department and civic bodies.
Application forms, admit cards, receipts, passport-size photos and copies of original documents and certificates have been seized from the possession of two accused who work at a coaching centre, according to a release by the Crime Branch.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Premvir Singh said the accused persons used fake documents and stamps to convince the candidates that they had passed the physical test of a particular exam. ‘” They would then demand Rs 10 lakh for a job as Police Sub Inspector, Rs 5 lakh as constable, Rs 5 lakh as ‘ talati-cum-mantri’, Rs 2.5 lakh as a junior clerk, Rs 3.5 lakh as Army personnel and Rs 1.5 lakh as Municipal Corporation clerk. Among 81 victims, 60 are from Rajasthan, 17 from Gujarat and four from Uttar Pradesh. They would change the family names of the aspirants and project that they hailed from Gujarat to make them eligible to apply for job openings in the state,” the JCP added.
Premvir Singh said that documents found in the possession of the accused indicate that ten candidates appeared to have passed the physical test for police LRD (constable) recruitment, even though they had not filled out a form. Three aspirants appeared to have passed the test despite failing.
