Pune: A major government job fraud has come to light in Maharashtra’s Pune district, where two men have been accused of cheating 117 job aspirants out of Rs 3.73 crore by promising guaranteed recruitment in state and central government departments without the need for interviews. Police have registered a case against the accused and launched a manhunt to trace them.
According to the FIR registered at Baramati Police Station, the accused have been identified as Subahu Sarkar, also known as Rana, and Pramod Hagwan Gurav. They allegedly lured unemployed candidates with assurances of direct appointments in various government departments by claiming to have influential contacts within the Maharashtra government and senior officials in public sector organisations.
The complaint was filed by a labour contractor from Baramati, who alleged that he was introduced to Sarkar through Gurav in early 2022. During their meetings, Gurav reportedly claimed that Sarkar had access to senior officials in Mantralaya and could arrange government jobs in departments such as Health, Forest, Water Resources, Social Welfare, as well as central government organisations including the Indian Railways and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).
To gain the complainant’s confidence, the accused allegedly displayed fabricated lists of candidates who had supposedly secured government jobs through Sarkar’s influence. They also claimed that successful applicants would not be required to face interviews, as their names would be directly included in the final selection lists once recruitment notifications were issued.
According to the FIR, Sarkar further insisted that the recruitment process was highly confidential and that he only accepted candidates referred through trusted contacts. He allegedly claimed to have successfully secured jobs for nearly 400 people in the past without attracting any complaints, thereby convincing the complainant of the authenticity of the scheme.
Police said the accused demanded approximately Rs 5 lakh per candidate for state government jobs and Rs 6 lakh for railway recruitment. Candidates were allegedly asked to make advance payments of Rs 3 lakh for state government posts and Rs 4 lakh for railway jobs, along with copies of their application forms and personal documents.
Believing the promises, the complainant began mobilising candidates from his network. Between 2023 and 2024, he gathered 117 job seekers, including 95 candidates seeking employment in various Maharashtra government departments and 22 aspiring for central government positions.
The complainant initially handed over Rs 35 lakh in cash along with the candidates’ details during a meeting in Baramati. Over the following two years, additional payments were allegedly made both through online bank transfers and cash transactions. Police said a total of Rs 3.33 crore was paid to Sarkar, including Rs 1.28 crore through online transfers and Rs 2.14 crore in cash. Another Rs 40 lakh was allegedly transferred to Gurav through a combination of online payments and cash, taking the total amount involved in the alleged fraud to Rs 3.73 crore.
Investigators said that after collecting the money, the accused allegedly supplied forged selection lists bearing fake government seals and fabricated appointment letters to the candidates. To make the scheme appear genuine, several candidates were even directed to attend what were presented as official training programmes before joining their respective departments.
However, the fraud came to light when the candidates reported to the locations mentioned in their appointment letters and training instructions, only to discover that no such recruitment had taken place and the documents issued to them were fake. Realising they had been deceived, the victims approached the police.
Based on the complaint, Baramati Police have registered offences against Sarkar and Gurav under multiple provisions of the BNS, including charges related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and other relevant offences. The investigation is currently underway.
Police officials said multiple teams have been formed to trace and arrest the accused. During the preliminary investigation, officers also found that Gurav had previously been booked in a similar cheating case in Pune, raising concerns about possible repeat offences.
Meanwhile, authorities have urged candidates to verify recruitment processes only through official government notifications and avoid dealing with individuals claiming to offer guaranteed jobs in exchange for money.
The Pune Rural Police continue to investigate the case to determine whether additional victims or accomplices were involved in the alleged recruitment racket. Further legal action will be taken based on the findings of the ongoing investigation.
