BENGALURU: The lid has been blown off a racket operated by a group of three, including two railway employees, who conned 33 people in eight years by promising to get them jobs in the Bangalore Railway Division. Based on a complaint from one of the victims, the Government Railway Police booked an FIR on July 27, against D Babu, technician, and Chaman Singh, technician (under training), of the Carriage and Wagon Department of the depot at Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (Bengaluru City) depot, and Thimaiah, former driver at Indian Space Research Organisation, for defrauding people of huge sums, said a highly-placed GRP source.
The case was filed by one Ramakrishna from Mandya, who said he had paid Rs 11 lakh in instalments from 2016 to 2018 to get jobs for his two sons. Victim Girish, who lost Rs 4.95 lakh to the scamsters, said, “They have made away with at least Rs 5 crore. One parent I got to know of has paid Rs 39 lakh for two of his family members, while another had paid Rs 25 lakh.” Accused Babu is also a Central Union member of South Western Railway Mazdoor Union and the union office inside the Railway premises was one of the places that he misused to dupe people.
A fortnight ago, 32 people had approached the union office and were taken to the GRP police station on Platform Six. Girish, presently unemployed, stated, “I first met Babu at the union office eight years ago. He told me he had good contacts in the Railways and could get me a job. I worked in a private firm. I saved good sums and handed it to him over a period of time to settle down in a government job.” “In January this year, he even showed me a letter with SWR letterhead and asked me to pay another Rs 75,000 as a bribe to Railway doctors for a medical certificate. He called me on July 12 and congratulated me on getting the job and spoke to my wife too. But from July 14, his phone was switched off. It was then that I approached his colleagues and learnt that I had been duped,” he added. Further investigations are on.
TRIO CASHED IN ON VICTIMS’ YEARNING FOR GOVT JOBS
Babu, Chaman Singh and Thimaiah cashed in on the security that a government job offers by convincing parents that their children could get Group D or C jobs if they were ready to part money in lakhs. “A total of 16 people have come forward, so far, to complain that they have been duped, but the number could be more than double that,” said a top GRP source.