The Khunta Police on Friday detained three government employees on the charges of impersonating a senior IAS officer and cheating job aspirants of over Rs 20 lakh on the false promise of ‘government jobs’. At least 15 innocent job-seekers have been allegedly duped by the three accused in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, police said.

The three accused have been identified as Manoj Acharya, an assistant teacher at Bairatpur School in Udala. Acharya is thought to be the architect of the deceitful scheme. Alongside him, engineer Dilip Jena and Lohitash Jena from Kalikapur in Baripada are also accused. The trio has allegedly deceived more than 15 young job aspirants from different areas out of a substantial sum of over Rs 20 lakh. 

The trio allegedly enticed young aspirants with promises of government jobs, falsely associating their offers with the name of a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. The victims were duped into believing they would secure positions in various sectors, including the Indian Railways, government services, GRS, police, and several outsourcing companies. 

Ongoing Investigation:

Authorities continue to probe the matter, exploring whether the scam extends beyond these three individuals. Police urge the public to exercise caution and verify the authenticity of job offers to prevent falling victim to similar scams.

Police Statement:

Speaking to media, Panchanana Mohanty, IIC, Khunta Police Station informed, “We had received a complaint from Khunta Block BEO Brundaban Marandi that he was defrauded by the accused on the promise of a job. During probe, we apprehended Manoj Acharya who confessed to collecting money on the false promise of giving government jobs.”

“He was assisted by another person. They were impersonating a senior IAS officer and collecting money in lieu of providing government jobs. Till now, we have detained three people now. They have allegedly siphoned off a huge amount of Rs 15-20L from the victims. Till now around 10-12 victims have come forward. We are expecting more victims to come forward and lodge their complaints,” the IIC stated.

Public Caution Advised:

The police underscore the necessity of conducting thorough checks into the legitimacy of employment offers. Such due diligence is imperative in avoiding fraudulent schemes that exploit job-seekers' aspirations.