INDIA. Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has successfully dismantled an inter-state illegal job racket, leading to the arrest of three accused involved in defrauding desperate job seekers.
These jobseekers were preparing for examinations in various Central Government Departments, including the Food Corporation of India, Railways, and Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Following a complaint by Ajay Pandurang Patil, a case (FIR No RC0262023AO036 dated November 08) was filed by ACB, Mumbai, against six accused: Ajay Kumar (Nellary, Karnataka), Biraba Patil(Gulbarga, Karnataka), Rupesh, Abhishek, Deepak Mandal, and Ms. Sandhya-unknown public servants. Subsequently, Aman Kumar alias Rupesh (Dhanbad in Jharkhand), Abhishek Singh (Araria in Bihar), and Ajay Kumar (Bangalore in Karnataka) were arrested.
The organized syndicate, comprising private individuals, was allegedly taking Rs. 10 to Rs. 20 lakh (sometimes in installments) in the name of processing fees/security deposits from prospective job seekers in various Central Government departments and PSUs.
The accused set up a sophisticated system, creating layers of different individuals to make it challenging for prospective job seekers to approach the next level accused for refunds or job confirmations.
They issued fake appointment letters and call letters for training at various fictitious training centers based on forged documents.
Fake training centers were established in different states, conducting training for job seekers with the intention of presenting a genuine setup.
The accused even called job seekers to actual government premises to hand over fake appointment letters and training call letters, adding an illusion of authenticity.
Searches were conducted at nine places, including Patna, Mumbai, Bangalore, Mangalore, and Dhanbad, uncovering two fake training centers in Sakinaka, North Central Mumbai, and one in Patna (Bihar).
Approximately 25 job seekers were undergoing training after receiving fake appointments for jobs in various Central Government departments.
The seized evidence during the searches included fake call letters, fake appointment letters, and fake training dossiers of job seekers.
In Bangalore, an accomplice of an accused was found taking two prospective job seekers inside the GST office, ostensibly for signing appointment letters.
In Mangalore, the main accused were preparing to set up a new fake training center for prospective job seekers.
The accused ran the fake job racket for the past two years, collecting crores of rupees from job seekers. Fake training sessions were conducted in Nagpur (Maharashtra), Dhanbad (Jharkhand), Patna and Buxer (Bihar), and Bangalore (Karnataka).
Another Case – Disproportionate Assets
In a separate case, the CBI has filed charges against the then Deputy Chief Engineer (Survey/Construction), Northeast Frontier Railways, Maligaon, Guwahati (Assam) in a disproportionate assets case.
A case was registered on November 30, 2021, against the accused on allegations of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
During the check period from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2019, the accused amassed assets disproportionate to the known source of income, amounting to Rs. 2,15,28,395, with a percentage of disproportionate assets reaching around 89.96%.
Searches were conducted at two places in Jorhat and Guwahati, leading to the recovery of documents related to immovable properties, locker keys, etc.
Also Read: CBI Books Mumbai-based Central Railway Officers in Corruption Case
