Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, May 12: Thirteen individuals have allegedly been defrauded of Rs 1.02 crore in a fake Indian Railways job scam. The Navghar police in Palghar registered a case late Saturday night, booking seven suspects from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. The scam came to light after a 46-year-old librarian from Bhayandar East, originally from Andhra Pradesh, lodged a complaint.
The complainant’s son was seeking employment when an old acquaintance from their native village claimed he could secure a job in the Railways. The acquaintance presented what appeared to be valid appointment letters and ID cards on his mobile phone, claiming successful placement of previous candidates in Travelling Ticket Examiner (TT) and clerk roles. Trusting this, the complainant paid Rs 10 lakh for his son’s appointment as a TT. He later received documents that seemed genuine, indicating his son had secured a position with the Western Southern Railway.
Encouraged, the complainant informed relatives and friends, leading to 13 families collectively paying over Rs 1 crore to the accused. However, after receiving the fake appointment letters, the victims received no official follow-up. When they contacted Indian Railways directly, they were informed the documents were counterfeit. Realizing the fraud, the librarian filed a police complaint.
Police confirmed that the crime occurred before March 2023, so the FIR has been registered under IPC rather than the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which took effect on June 1, 2023. The investigation, led by PSI Sampat Aher, involves verifying the fraudulent documents with Indian Railways. The accused have been charged under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 465, 468, 471, 472 (forgery-related offenses), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy). Police are now tracking the suspects and attempting to trace the flow of funds.