Cops nab woman for running fake job racket from W.Delhi

Recession-hit private sector and the consequent lull in the recruitment process by global companies has thrown open a window of opportunity for fraudsters who are exploiting jobless youth. Karn Pratap Singh reports.

Recession-hit private sector and the consequent lull in the recruitment process by global companies has thrown open a window of opportunity for fraudsters who are exploiting jobless youth.

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In the recent past, several fake recruitment rackets were busted in the national Capital.

In 2011, the city police busted five such rackets and three by the crime branch. Police said the fraudsters targeted well educated but gullible young men and promised them assistance in landing a job.

A similar gang has been busted by the west Delhi Police and a 28-year-old woman, who was running a fake job placement agency in Hari Nagar along with her partner, has been nabbed. The woman has been identified as Puja Jha from Bihar.

V Renganathan, additional commissioner of police (west), said the gang targeted well-educated students seeking employment opportunities in the recession-hit job market.

"The woman and her partner Prithvi used to cheat people by promising them jobs in top multi-national companies in Chennai. They used to charge Rs 70,000 from each candidate for assisting them in obtaining a job with a handsome salary," said ACP said. Prithvi, who the police said is the mastermind, is on the run.

Jha told the police that she was working with Prithvi on a commission basis for the past one year. The arrest came after a complaint by a man from Sonepat.

"They used to place advertisement in newspapers, particularly in editions outside Delhi, to lure gullible men. The jobseekers, who would call on the given number, would be called at the 'consultancy office' for assistance. The gang used to give them fake appointment letters of prominent Chennai-based companies before closing down their office," said the senior officer.

In 2011, the crime branch had arrested two people, including a woman, for duping over 1,000 job seekers of more than R10 crore by promising them jobs in Assam Rifles and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Two staffers of Northern railway were arrested in the same year for cheating people. More than 10 people, including railway employees and ex-servicemen, were held for running such rackets in the Capital.