Delhi Police busts fake government job racket; kingpin from Hyderabad arrested

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has busted a fake government job recruitment racket and arrested two men, including its kingpin, officials said on Monday. The main accused, identified as Rashid Choudhury, a native of Hyderabad, allegedly ran a cyber scam by using the name "National Rural Development and Recreation Mission (NRDRM)" to falsely present it as a government body under the Ministry of Rural Development, police said.

"The matter came to light following a complaint from the Ministry of Rural Development on March 22, reporting fake recruitment advertisements on two different fake websites featuring images of Union ministers and top officials to mislead job seekers.

"The scam involved collecting registration fees ranging from Rs 299 to Rs 399 from applicants," Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla said at a press briefing. He said that an FIR was registered and further investigation was taken up.

During the investigation, a QR code embedded in the fraudulent websites was traced to a bank account in Assam. The money was routed through multiple mule accounts and withdrawn from ATMs. Over a hundred CCTV footages were analysed to track the cash withdrawals, eventually leading the police to the Laxmi Nagar area in east Delhi, where surveillance confirmed the presence of suspects, said the DCP.

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Further investigation underway

A raid was conducted on May 18, resulting in the arrest of Ikbal Hussain (27) of Assam, who confessed to withdrawing money for the gang. Based on his disclosure, the police later arrested Rashid Choudhury from a separate flat in the same locality.

"Choudhury is a habitual cybercriminal and the mastermind behind the racket. He operated a network involving web developers, account handlers and SIM procurers," said the DCP. The police seized 11 mobile phones, 15 SIM cards, 21 cheque books, 15 debit cards, a POS machine, four fake stamps, and five Wi-Fi dongles, besides identifying six fake websites used in the commission of the crime.

The seized devices and bank records are being analysed in coordination with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). Further investigation is underway to trace more victims and co-accused linked to the pan-India scam.