KOCHI: Ernakulam Police on Friday arrested three persons for duping a Malappuram man of Rs 11 lakh by promising him a managerial position at Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL).
The arrested are Satheesh Chandran, 66, of Elamkulam, Kochi; Salim, 50, of Nadapuram, Kozhikode; and Biju, 48, of Perumanoor, Kochi. Police are on the lookout for one more person, Jibelesh of Kochi, involved in the crime.
A case based on a complaint by the victim was registered on Friday. “In October 2021, the victim was approached by Jibelesh, who claimed to be close to top-ranked KMRL officials. Jibelesh said he had arranged jobs for several people with Kochi Metro and showed some documents to gain the trust of the victim,” a police officer said.
The accused later contacted the victim about a vacancy for an electrical manager at the company. He asserted that he can easily arrange the job for a commission. The victim was given the impression that it is a permanent position fetching a high salary.
He ended up paying Rs 11 lakh over various instalments. “One of the accused, posing as an HR manager with KMRL, interviewed the victim. Following this, the victim was offered the job and promised an appointment letter. Since December 2022, the victim has received multiple assurances, with no further action. He realised he had been cheated when he made enquiries with KMRL authorities,” the officer said.
Police have registered a case of cheating, impersonation, forgery and forgery for the purpose of cheating. “We have initiated a probe into the incident. The complainant suspects that the same group has cheated other candidates by offering jobs in various public sector companies. We are attempting to track down the accused persons,” officers said.
In 2017, a purported New Delhi-based agency sent out emails to various job seekers offering recruitment in KMRL. Responders were asked to attend an interview in Delhi. They also collected a fee from candidates with the promise the amount will be refunded with the initial salary.
Ex- minister's secretary among three held
One of the accused in the KMRL job scam, Satheesh Chandran, was the assistant private secretary of former minister P Thilothaman. According to officers, Satheesh had worked as assistant private secretary of the former civil supplies minister but was dismissed from service for corrupt practices. He had taken money from around 50 jobseekers by offering employment in Kamco, NSS College Changanassery, the civil supplies department and educational institutions under the Devaswom Board.