India, Aug. 5 -- Seven persons have been apprehended for allegedly operating a fake placement agency here and cheating job seekers on the pretext of providing employment, police said on Tuesday. According to the police, the accused were running an unregistered placement agency in west Delhi's Uttam Nagar area, and luring job aspirants through online employment portals by posing as HR executives. The matter came to light following a complaint from a Karol Bagh resident, who alleged he had received a message from a person claiming to be an HR executive in response to an online job application. He was called for an interview at the agency's office in Uttam Nagar on July 25, where he was allegedly asked to pay Rs 4,800 as registration and account opening charges. He was assured that the amount would be refunded after he joined the job. Also Read - Factory wall collapse kills two firefighters "However, neither was any job provided nor was the money refunded, and the mobile numbers used to contact him later became unreachable," a senior officer said. Based on the complaint, a case was registered on August 1. During the probe, police analysed mobile phone records, digital payment trails and beneficiary bank accounts before raiding the placement agency's 'office' at Jeevan Park in Uttam Nagar. Police arrested seven people, including alleged mastermind Preeti Malhotra, for a fake job racket that collected Rs 3,000-4,000 from candidates through sham interviews. Five cybercrime complaints were linked to the accused.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.