Nine arrested for running fake job racket

Berhampur: Police on Wednesday arrested nine members of a fake job racket, including its mastermind and his four bodyguards, for allegedly duping numerous job aspirants of at least Rs 27.50 lakh. Investigators suspect the total fraud amount could run into crores.
Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek revealed that the gang, led by Jagadish Kumar Behera (39) from Bhubaneswar, targeted unemployed youths by promising them govt jobs. The police seized fake appointment letters, govt seals, candidate records, bank documents, a car and multiple mobile phones during the arrests.
"The gang operated systematically, with members assigned specific roles such as collecting money and biodata from job aspirants," the SP said. Preliminary investigation of just one of Behera's bank accounts showed transactions amounting to Rs 1.96 lakh since Feb 11, 2023. Several other bank accounts linked to the racket are still under scrutiny.
The case came to light when a victim lodged a complaint at Baidyanathpur police station on Tuesday, reporting a fraud of Rs 27.50 lakh. The gang's modus operandi involved collecting money and documents from aspirants through intermediaries, sending fake appointment letters via post, and later citing delays in joining dates. When victims demanded refunds, they were threatened.
Apart from Behera, the arrested individuals include Hrudayanand Muni (56), Surya Kant Behera, Sisir Kumar Mishra (54), Sunil Behera (30), Prakash Sethi (36), Chowan Jena (26), Sumant Patra (26), and Santosh Nahak (42). The accused hail from various districts, including Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Balasore, and Nayagarh.
Police suspect the involvement of several other gang members, who remain at large. A manhunt has been launched to apprehend them. The investigation is ongoing to uncover the full extent of the fraud and identify additional victims.