KRISHNAGIRI: A 38-year-old suspended VAO was arrested on Wednesday for his involvement in a job scam, in which he duped people by promising financial assistance from the collectorate. The accused was identified as C Prabhu of Thottiyam village near Kallakurichi.
On September 2, TNIE published an article titled '2 posing as govt staff cheat woman of Rs 23.5k; no action taken yet.' The story detailed how C Monisha (24) of Gareatti village near Anchetti, who lost her parents this year, had applied for financial assistance for her school-going brother at the Krishnagiri District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) in late July.
Following her application, two swindlers approached her family, claiming to be Krishnagiri collectorate staff. They cheated her out of Rs 23,500 under the pretense of providing a job and accident compensation after her parents' death.
Monisha lodged a complaint with the DCPU and the Anchetti police station, but no action was taken for over a month. After the article was published, Anchetti police spoke with Monisha and filed a case under BNS 316 (2) and 318 (2) against one person on the same day.
Similarly, Krishnagiri SP P Thangadurai ordered Denkanikottai DSP S Anantharaj to arrest the accused. A special team led by Anantharaj was formed, and the accused was identified as the suspended VAO C Prabhu.
Police added that Prabhu was appointed as a VAO after his father's death but was suspended in 2017. He would collect newspapers with details of people's deaths and then approach the families, claiming to be a collectorate staff member and swindling them out of money. However, no other complaints have been registered against him so far.
Police also stated that another person who accompanied Prabhu, an autorickshaw driver, was not found to have a role in the preliminary inquiry conducted on Wednesday.
Police advised people to be cautious and not to believe scammers who promise financial assistance or government jobs.