Delhi Police busts fake job racket; arrests 5 for cheating over 100 job seekers

New Delhi, Nov 1 (PTI) Five people including the mastermind of a fraudulent job placement racket operating from Kotla Mubarakpur area here have been arrested for allegedly duping over Rs 15 lakh from people by promising them employment in reputed companies, police said on Saturday.

According to a Delhi Police officer, the racket, which was being run by the mastermind Tariq Khan and his associates including – Kapil, his wife Tannu, Adiba and Shahana alias Zoya – duped more than 100 people.

The gang opened a fake placement agency named ‘Skill Innovation Solution’ and lured unsuspecting job aspirants by offering them employment opportunities through prominent recruitment websites.

The case came to light after a woman, Manisha, from Shalimar Garden, lodged a complaint alleging that she had been defrauded of Rs 24,000 by a man, Amardeep.

In September, Amardeep contacted her claiming that her profile had been shortlisted by a multinational firm and she was called to the Kotla Mubarakpur office for an interview, police said.

Later the accused induced her to transfer the money through an online payment application on the pretext of securing a job. No offer or refund followed, police said.

During investigation, it was found that the racket had cheated more than 100 people using similar modus operandi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankit Chauhan said.

"The accused had been running the operation for several months, employing around 10 telecallers to make the agency appear legitimate," the officer said.

A raid was carried out at the Kotla Mubarakpur office, where the five were caught while operating the fraudulent placement setup, he added.

The accused, during interrogation, revealed that they had been running the fake placement agency for months, contacting job seekers through online portals, calling them for interviews, and demanding "security" or "processing" fees through UPI or QR codes.

Once payments were made, they would stop responding to the victims and soon change office locations to evade detection, police said.

Several mobile phones, fake receipts, payment records, resumes of job seekers, and UPI details used for fraudulent transactions, were recovered from the office, they said.

Documents related to "Skill Innovation Solution" were also seized. "Further investigation is on to trace other victims, financial transactions, and possible links to other operatives. Digital evidence is being analyzed to identify the full extent of the racket," DCP Chauhan said. PTI SSJ RUK OZ OZ