Fake ASI recruitment scam busted in Delhi, 2 held

New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) The Delhi Police has busted a fake government recruitment racket and arrested two people for allegedly duping students through a spoofed Archaeological Survey of India's website, officials said on Saturday.

The accused have been identified as Kuldeep (30), a resident of Jaipur and a B.Com graduate pursuing an LL.B., and Piyush (25), a B.Tech (Computer Science) graduate who developed the fake website, they said.

The accused created a fake ASI recruitment portal and advertised non-existent government vacancies to exploit unemployed youth across the country, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations) Vinit Kumar said in a statement.

"The racket was busted before it could reach the interview stage, where candidates were allegedly to be asked for bribes in exchange for selection," he said.

The accused advertised seven posts of Curator and 84 posts of Junior Assistant under the ASI, Ministry of Culture. Links to the forged recruitment portal were circulated widely through college student groups, social media platforms and messaging applications, drawing hundreds of applications from unsuspecting candidates.

"The website was designed to closely resemble the official ASI and Ministry of Culture portals, complete with logos, layout and colour schemes, making it difficult for applicants to detect the fraud," the officer said.

Investigators said around 150 candidates were shortlisted for a written examination after the accused allegedly assessed their backgrounds and financial capacity. To add credibility, the accused booked a reputed examination centre in Jaipur and conducted the test in a professional manner, following the pattern of genuine government exams.

Police said the accused planned to declare nearly half of the candidates successful and then call them for interviews, during which they would demand money from the students for 'guaranteed selection' and appointment letters.

However, the plan was foiled following a timely intelligence-led intervention by the IFSO unit. Based on technical surveillance and field inputs, police conducted raids and apprehended the accused before the interview stage could begin.

During searches, police recovered two mobile phones, a laptop, a desktop computer, an iPad, a tablet and passbooks allegedly used in the commission of the crime.

Further investigation is underway to identify other associates, trace the money trail and ascertain whether similar fake recruitment drives were conducted elsewhere, police added. PTI SSJ HIG HIG