Five Arrested In West Bengal's New Town For Scamming Aviation Job Seekers

Five persons who cheated aviation job seekers were arrested in New Town after police raided two offices run by the fraudsters at Akankha junction on Monday night. Police recovered mobile phones, POS machines, laptops, medical test documents and contract-related papers from the swanky offices set up by the fraudsters in two multi-storey buildings.

On Tuesday, Bidhannagar Commissionerate (New Town) Deputy Commissioner Manab Singla, ACP Utsa Srimani and OC Saikat Banerjee, among others, held a press conference at Eco Park police station on the issue. The DC said that the gang would approach job seekers who had posted their resumes on various job portals. Selected persons were then called to their office in New Town, where they underwent training to secure a good job.

“For the past four months, job seekers not only from Bengal but also from Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand were being cheated. The company had taken amounts ranging from Rs 30,000 to Rs 60,000 from the applicants. They told the applicants that the company would provide them jobs after training,” said Singla. The accused were also brought to the conference with their faces hidden behind pillowcases. According to police, one of them complained of suffocation and collapsed. Later, water was thrown on his face to revive him.

Besides, the Crime Branch Unit-1 of Thane police has arrested a serial fraudster who cheated at least 14 educated unemployed youths of Rs 13.95 lakh in Thane and Palghar districts. The accused, identified as Lalit Shivnath Shakti, 24, had been running an elaborate scam promising lucrative jobs in the Indian Railways. Under several fake identities, he used social media platforms to lure his victims with fake job advertisements, fake appointment letters and fake recruitment forms.

The case came to light when a complaint was registered under sections 319(2), 318(4), 335, 336(2), 336(3), 340(2) and 316(2) of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita at Thane Nagar police station (Crime Reg. No. 687/2024). Based on credible information, the CID laid a trap at Thane railway station where Shakti was expected with another potential victim. After his arrest, a skilful interrogation revealed his true identity and the extent of his fraudulent activities.