Mysuru: A job racket has been busted in city where a group of people including women used to cheat gullible job seekers by promising them plum posts in banks for a fee and under “management quota”. The cheating incident happened in 2017 and it has come to light now as one of the victims lodged a Police complaint.

The nine-member criminal gang lured desperate jobseekers into their dragnet and later cheated them of lakhs of rupees. After the crime came to light, the group has left the city and the Police are on the lookout for them.

A case has been registered at Krishnaraja Police Station against the nine accused – Ramamani, wife of Shivashankar and a resident of Chamundipuram, Kavya, Shivashankar, Ajay, Madhusudhan, Rajalakshmi, Bhaskar, Shalini and Gurushankar. Cases have been booked under IPC section 1860, 417, 419, 420, 506, and 34. All the accused are absconding.

Fresh graduates targeted: In her complaint, Pavithra, a resident of Malavalli, has told the Police that the accused used to target fresh graduates and post-graduates who have just completed their degrees and looking for jobs. They used to obtain addresses and visit the homes of jobseekers and used to promise good jobs after entrance test. After convincing the jobseekers, the accused demanded money as their commission, she told the Police.

Pavithra told the Police that Ramamani was a senior manager at a reputed bank and she used to introduce Kavya to the jobseekers and tell them that Kavya will help secure jobs at banks and financial institutions. “They will then provide a long list of candidates who have secured jobs with their help and take our phone numbers. Once they take the phone numbers, the accused would call many times and send WhatsApp messages on exam date, venue, type of answers, bank letters, face-to-face interview, etc.,” Pavithra mentions in the complaint.

Demand for money: Apart from filing a complaint, Pavithra addressed a press conference at Pathrakarthara Bhavan to send a message to jobseekers not to fall victims. “After a series of messages and a couple of calls, the accused told the victims that their bank exam hall tickets would arrive at their doorstep. Later they would make a demand of Rs. 5 lakh for a bank probationary job. I trusted them and paid Rs. 5 lakh that I had borrowed,” she said.

Narrating her ordeal after paying Rs. 5 lakh, Pavithra said, “I have been waiting for the job offer since the last two years and we repeatedly contacted Ramamani who used to give some or the other excuses along with other accused. I realised late that I was conned. Six months back Ramamani and Kavya told me that it was not possible for her to get me a job and instead offered to refund the money,” she said.

Assurance in writing: “Ramamani even gave it in writing that the money she had taken would be refunded but she has not paid a single rupee. I got to know that the con gang is visiting more houses targeting innocent jobseekers and that is why I have lodged a Police complaint and highlighting my case before the media,” Pavithra said. Kavitha said that she was aware that it was not right to secure jobs paying commission. “Desperation led me to believe them as they promised me the bank probationer’s job under ‘management quota’ and I trusted them only to fall in their trap,” she said.