In yet another incident of cash-for-jobs scam, over 300 people from Delhi have been allegedly duped with job promises at the public service companies Prasar Bharti and Akashvani, The Indian Express reported, citing officials on Monday.
Police said that the victims, who were mostly students in their 20s, were approached by the accused named Pankaj Gupta, who posed as a government official and had offered jobs to over 800 people.
Police said that Gupta took a registration fee of Rs 3,000 from each candidate and later demanded Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000 for the selection and joining process. When the victims were called outside the Prasar Bharti office in Mandi House, they found out that they had been duped.
Later, four aspiring candidates on January 11 approached the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing. They said they were approached by Gupta last year.
The FIR stated, “Gupta filled out the registration form in Prasar Bharti. He charged approx (Rs 3,000) for a candidate. We got a notification that Gupta filled a total of 800 candidate’s registration forms … After a few days, he told us that (we can join) without an interview in Prasar Bharti… 308 candidates. He charged different amounts (20k, 15k, 10k etc) to the 308 candidates. He told all (308) candidates, to come to the Prasar Bharti office Mandi House and…Akashwani Office for document verification on 16th of May 2022.”
The complaint further read that when the candidates reached the destinations, they found that all Prasar Bharti and Akashvani offices were closed.
The guard at the gates also told that they had no information.
The victims tried going to Gupta’s house in Kamla Nagar, but they alleged that he had fled and his phone was off. They further alleged that he had forged signatures and seals using stamps of different government offices.
Police said that accused Gupta has been booked under charges of cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and cheating by personation of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).