KOCHI: Police are on the lookout for a Muvattupuzha resident who allegedly went into hiding after swindling Rs 5 lakh from a young woman by promising her a job as an assistant professor at a popular aided college in Kottayam.
Investigating officers said the accused, Prakash T S, had been absconding for the past few months. Though only one complaint was registered, the probe indicated that there could be more victims, they added.
The complainant — a postgraduate in English with UGC’s National Eligibility Test (NET) clearance — said she came to about the ‘job offer’ through one of her friends, who was working with Prakash at a parallel college in Kottayam in 2021.
Prakash, who then worked as a Hindi teacher, had claimed that he could arrange the assistant professor posting for any aspirant who had cleared NET and was willing to pay Rs 35 lakh. “We believed him because he was convincing,” said complainant.
“Though job aspirants approached him, some of them opted out as they were unable to raise the first installment that he demanded. I paid him Rs 5 lakh. Then, as he kept on insisting on additional payment, I grew suspicious and asked him for some sort of confirmation. As there was no clarity in his reply, we told him to return the money. But since then, he has been absconding, and his mobile phone is switched off.”