A gang that cheated job seekers by offering fake government jobs—just like in the famous Bollywood movie Special 26—has been caught by the police. The gang operated by creating a fake website, conducting exams and interviews, and even issuing fake appointment letters to unsuspecting candidates.
According to the police, the fraudsters appointed 25 people for fake positions like Area Inspector, Field Supervisor, and MPS. However, their scam was exposed when one of the selected candidates became suspicious and reported the matter.
The gang used to charge between Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh per candidate for these fake job offers. They had set up an organization called Shagun Gramin Health and Family Council to make the scheme look real, said Cyber Cell Inspector Vikas.
Sub-Inspector Vikas of the Bhiwani Cyber Police Station stated that five individuals have been arrested in this case. The police have recovered Rs 1.57 lakh in cash, frozen Rs 1.21 lakh in their bank accounts, and seized two silver coins, two rings, a computer, 13 mobile phones, 11 passbooks, 11 ATMs, 43 registers, 8 payment slips, and various office supplies from them.
These accused as a government department under the name Shagun Gramin Health and Family Council. They not only fraudulently collected money from job seekers by offering them fake appointments but also duped villagers across Haryana by charging Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 for registrations under various central and state government welfare schemes.
In a scam reminiscent of the Bollywood movie Special 26, the accused collected applications from nearly 25 candidates in November 2024 through a website for positions such as Area Inspector, Field Supervisor, and MPS.
The candidates were made to appear for exams at a private college in Hisar, followed by interviews, after which they were given appointment letters. Nearly 960 youths applied for these positions, out of which 500 appeared for the examination. The accused ultimately provided jobs to 25 individuals and extorted ₹2-4 lakh per candidate through their agents.
Cyber Inspector Vikas revealed that these fraudsters had been collecting registration forms from rural areas under the pretense of schemes like the Mukhyamantri Vivah Shagun Yojana, Ladki Samman Yojana, Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojana, and Pradhan Mantri Shadi Shagun Yojana. They even set up offices in Bhiwani, Jind, and Yamunanagar to carry out their fraudulent activities.
The scam was exposed when Neeraj, a resident of Jatu Lohari village in Bhiwani, who was recruited under this scheme, became suspicious while interacting with villagers during the registration process. When he attempted to contact higher officials for clarification, he was denied access, which further raised his doubts. Subsequently, he reported the matter to the police.
Following the complaint, the police arrested the gang’s masterminds—Baljeet and Ritu from Badesra village, Sanjay from Sarsana, Gulshan from Chandigarh, and Balkar from Jind. Investigations into the case are ongoing.