Bhubaneswar: A group of fraudsters have allegedly duped unemployed youths of around Rs 10 crore on the pretext of providing them jobs in the state government, police sources said.
Based upon complaints filed by duped youths with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch and the modus operandi of the accused, police said some miscreants managed to perpetrate the fraud by publishing advertisements in leading Odia newspapers through a city-based advertising agency inviting applications from suitable candidates for appointment to posts in ‘rural public health welfare organisation’ of the state government on May 27.
“The concerned advertisement agency is cooperating with us. The miscreants used bogus documents to release the advertisement and dupe the job-seekers,” DIG, CID-CB, Bhubaneswar, J N Pankaj told Odisha Bytes.
The advertisement said applications were invited to fill up 4313 posts of health officer, health supervisor, health assistant, computer operator, store-keeper, GNM, ANM and driver. The posts were vacant in each block and tehsil in the state, the advertisement claimed.
Responding to the advertisement, thousands of unemployed youths submitted their applications. The frauds, including one who operated with the fake name of Amit Kumar, took Rs 20,000 to 50,000 towards security money depending on the posts. Around 5,000 candidates deposited the money.
Subsequently, the miscreants issued appointment letters to the candidates who paid the security money. When those candidates went to join in their places of posting, they could know that the whole process was fake and the appointment letters were bogus.
Realising that they had been duped, the candidates found the office of the miscreants locked and its occupants absconding.
The candidates subsequently filed a complaint at Bhubaneswar office of EOW. “We are investigating the matter and are confident of nabbing the culprits who seem to be from outside Odisha,” Pankaj said.
