Lucknow: Lucknow Police have exposed a major fraud racket involved in duping unemployed youths on the pretext of providing government jobs. The Wazirganj Police arrested accused Mohammad Meraj, who allegedly posed as a court official and conducted fake training sessions for candidates seeking jobs in the district court and secretariat.
According to police officials, the gang’s mastermind has been identified as Pradeep Chauhan, who, along with associates Abhishek Kumar Singh, Mohammad Meraj, and Ajay Singh, allegedly impersonated court and secretariat officials to gain the trust of job seekers. The accused reportedly collected huge sums of money from unemployed youths by promising them government positions.
Complainant Shivam Gond informed police that the gang took nearly Rs 34 lakh from him and several others, including Rajit Gond, Amit Kumar, Rajni, Suraj, Radhika, and Rahul Kumar. To make the scam appear genuine, the accused had set up a fake office in Room No. 0-307 of the CSC Building near the old High Court premises, where candidates were called for interviews and training sessions.
Investigators revealed that the gang issued fake appointment letters, forged service book copies, and other fabricated documents. Victims were also given 10 to 12 days of so-called training for the posts of orderly and postman to convince them that their jobs had been confirmed.
The fraud came to light when victims grew suspicious and demanded their money back. The accused allegedly assaulted and threatened them, following which a complaint was lodged at Wazirganj Police Station.
Police said several fake appointment letters, service book copies, and forged documents have been recovered from the arrested accused. Efforts are currently underway to trace and arrest the remaining members of the gang.
