Fake jobs in name of Ayushman Bharat, Police arrests 4 racketeers

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

NEW DELHI: A fake job racket in the name of Ayushman Bharat has been busted by the police recently with the arrest of 4 persons including the kingpin who have reportedly duped jobseekers to the tune of Rs 50 lakh.

According to a recent report by IANS, the Delhi Police have 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".

The mastermind behind the scam, identified as one 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 in separate police raids.

Informing about the case that had been taken over on PMO orders, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) told the news agency, "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."

The matter came to light through a complaint filed by a victim, Kumar who had lodged a complaint on April 30 with regard to the recruitment syndicate that duped him.

"Kumar had in his complaint alleged that he is unemployed and preparing for a 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 a job, reports IANS.

"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 a security deposit. Kumar then decided to visit Jeevan Bharti building to inquire about the recruitment. On going there, he found the joining letter received by him was fake," the DCP further informed.

During the raid, the police found 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 the crime. All these were recovered from the place from where the syndicate was operating.

During interrogation, the kingpin disclosed that he had gone bankrupt due to heavy losses a few time ago. 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 the government of India. He later introduced him to Rishi Kant and two others.

The gang has already duped over 360 youths to the tune of over Rs. 50 lakh.