The gang has duped over 360 youths to the tune of over Rs 50 lakh, police said (Representational)
The Delhi Police has arrested four persons for cheating over 360 unemployed youths of various states to the tune of over Rs 50 lakh on the pretext of providing jobs under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious project "Ayushman Bharat Yojna", a police officer said on Tuesday.
The mastermind of gang, Gyan Prakash, 30, and his three accomplices -- Rishi Kant, 27, Ram Narayan, 28, and Praveen Kumar, 22, all residents of Haryana's Faridabad and Gurugram -- were arrested between Friday and Monday in separate police raids.
"Following strong pressure from PMO, a team headed by SHO Vinod Narang and Sub-Inspector Amit Kumar worked hard and cracked the case within six days. Police team got a tip-off from the post office from where the job application envelops were dispatched," Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma said.
"Fake appointment letters printed on Ayushman Bharat Yojna letterhead, fake stamps of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), SIM cards, forged documents of the Ministry and other government plans and schemes, linked bank account details and laptops used in the commission of crime were recovered from a room in Tigoan in Faridabad from where the syndicate was operating," Verma said.
A victim, Surender Kumar, resident of Mahendergarh district of Haryana, had lodged a complaint on April 30 at Connaught Place police station with regard to the recruitment syndicate that duped him.
"Kumar had in his complaint alleged that he is unemployed and preparing for government job. He saw an advertisement on April 14 in a national daily regarding open recruitment under the 'Ayushman Bharat Yojna'. He later sent his resume for job.
"Kumar on April 25 received an envelope through Speed Post and found a joining letter on the letterhead of Prime Minister Jan Arogya Yojna (PM-JAY) from Connaught Place on which the same mobile number was printed that had appeared in the advertisement," he said.
"The joining letter also directed him to get a bank account number by contacting on the same mobile number and deposit Rs 12,500 amount as security deposit. Kumar then decided to visit Jeeven Bharti building to enquire about the recruitment. On going there, he found the joining letter received by him was fake," the DCP said.
"During interrogation, Gyan Prakash disclosed that he had started colour workshop in Narela in 2011 and also started transport business simultaneously but later went bankrupt due to heavy losses. As huge debts piled up, he shared his problem with his friend who convinced him to earn huge money through an easy way of cheating unemployed youths on the pretext of jobs in the projects of government of India. He later introduced him to Rihsi Kant and two others," the officer added.
The gang used to target youths in remote areas of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Meerut, Haryana, Rajasthan, Mathura and Madhya Pradesh, among others. The gang has already duped over 360 youths to the tune of over Rs 50 lakh.