Railway official nabbed for duping 46 aspirants of Rs 1 crore with fake job promises

Bengaluru: Karnataka Police arrested a man for allegedly collecting Rs 50 lakh from candidates by promising success in competitive exams like KAS, PDO, and Village Accountant.

The accused was identified as 49-year-old Govindaraju, a Chief Ticket Inspector with South Western Railways. A suo motu case was registered following a tip-off.

“Govindaraju was contacting candidates through intermediaries, offering to clear exams for money,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) S. Girish. The accused charged Rs 25 lakh for PDO posts and Rs 50 lakh for KAS prelims, instructing candidates to leave some OMR sheet answers blank, which he claimed he would later correct.

PSI Bhimashankar Heroor and Head Constable Girish Kumar detained the accused at a house in Vijayanagar. “When asked for his phone, Govindaraju tried to flee but was apprehended,” DCP Girish said.

Four mobile phones, containing names and photos of 46 victims marked as “cheque” and “document,” were seized.

During interrogation, it was revealed that Govindaraju had collected certificates, admit cards, and blank signed cheques from candidates as collateral. He was previously arrested in 2018 for a similar fraud. “Legal action is being pursued against Govindaraju and others involved,” DCP Girish added.

With IANS inputs