Berhampur Police arrested nine individuals, including the mastermind and his four bodyguards, on Wednesday for allegedly scamming job aspirants out of at least Rs 27.5 lakh. The police suspect that the total fraud amount could run into several crores.
The gang, led by Jagadish Kumar Behera (39) from Bhubaneswar, lured unemployed youths with promises of government jobs. During the arrests, the police seized a variety of evidence, including fake appointment letters, government seals, candidate records, bank documents, a car, and multiple mobile phones.
According to Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek, the gang operated systematically, with each member assigned specific tasks such as collecting money and personal data from job seekers. Initial investigations revealed that one of Behera’s bank accounts alone showed transactions of Rs 1.96 lakh since February 11, 2023. Several other linked accounts are still under investigation.
The scam came to light after a victim filed a complaint at Baidyanathpur Police Station on Tuesday, reporting a fraud of Rs 27.5 lakh. The gang’s modus operandi involved collecting money and documents from aspirants through intermediaries, then sending fake appointment letters by post. When victims raised concerns about delays in joining dates and demanded refunds, they were threatened with retaliation.
