A promising government job offer turned into a costly deception for nearly 30 job seekers in Bengaluru, who fell victim to a massive scam. The fraudsters, posing as senior officials from the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), tricked the victims into paying lakhs for fake government positions. They provided counterfeit appointment letters, official seals, and identity cards to their unsuspecting targets, who believed they had secured well-paying roles as Intelligence Special Officers.
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police arrested two men, Venugopal and Aravind, after their investigation uncovered the elaborate scheme. Venugopal, who had been impersonating a high-ranking R&AW officer since 2021, convinced the victims that he had the authority to recruit for the prestigious intelligence agency. Along with Aravind, who owned a Xerox and stationery shop, Venugopal collected substantial sums from the victims, promising them lucrative jobs in R&AW.
The scam was exposed when one of the victims, a resident of JP Nagar, reported the fraud to the CCB Special Investigation Division on February 26. After a swift investigation, Venugopal was arrested in Hyderabad, while Aravind was apprehended in Bengaluru on February 28. During questioning, Venugopal confessed to masterminding the scam, with Aravind helping him fabricate official documents at his shop in Jayanagar.
The investigation led to the recovery of numerous counterfeit documents and equipment, including 86 fake R&AW letterheads, six service books, nine fake official seals, and a Zebra company ID card printer. Additionally, the police seized fraudulent appointment orders and several printers and laptops used in the scam.
Both Venugopal and Aravind were produced in court after their arrests. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are working to uncover the full extent of the racket.
