Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Crime Branch (CB) has arrested a man from Andhra Pradesh (AP) in connection with a massive multi-state job scam that allegedly duped thousands across multiple states, the investigating agency said Saturday.
The accused, identified as Kalluri Tirupati of West Godavari district in AP, was apprehended and produced before the Second Additional Judicial First Class Magistrate in Eluru. He was brought to Odisha on a transit remand for production before the designated OPID Act court in Cuttack Saturday, it said.
According to EOW sources, the case originated from a suo motu inquiry launched after a suspicious advertisement was published in a local Odia daily December 18, 2023 by “Aided School Welfare Society”, which falsely projected itself as a government-supported educational organisation.
“Investigators found that Tirupati, proprietor of Amod Nagaric Services, conspired with others, including directors of Digital Aided School Pvt Ltd, to publish fake recruitment advertisements for various non-teaching posts in aided schools across Odisha,” it said.
The accused collected Rs 1,000 as application fees from each candidate and is suspected to have defrauded job aspirants across the country of crores of rupees, the investigating agency pointed out. The probe revealed that the accused operated a fraudulent website designed to resemble an official government recruitment portal, targeting unemployed youth with false promises of jobs.
To make the scam appear legitimate, the advertisements used fake credentials, including GSTN and CIN numbers linked to a registered company, M/s Digital Aided School, incorporated in Mumbai. EOW officials said a financial investigation uncovered that Rs 1,18,63,156 was deposited into Tirupati’s accounts.
The money was subsequently diverted to his personal accounts and withdrawn through ATMs and other channels. Further investigation indicated that the racket was operated from Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, while its network extended to at least six states, including Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat.
The EOW is continuing its investigation to trace other accused involved in the nationwide job scam.
