57 job aspirants conned of Rs 1.83 crore in Karnataka, Central Crime Branch books three

Bengaluru: Central Crime Branch (CCB) officers have registered a case against three persons for allegedly cheating 57 job aspirants of Rs 1.83 crore by promising them government jobs.

The accused have been identified as Y Ramesh (49), D Raghavendra (42) and B S Dhruvakumar (33).

According to the FIR, the prime accused Ramesh operated between 2019 and 2023, targeting unemployed youth and assuring them of securing jobs in government departments through his alleged influence and contacts.

Surendranath Rao Mirjakar, the complainant, was initially introduced to Ramesh in 2019 through a mutual acquaintance. Ramesh claimed that he was well-connected and could facilitate government jobs​ in BESCOM for the posts of attenders and junior assistants.

Trusting his assurances, a group of 21 job aspirants collectively paid Rs 51 lakh in cash during the initial ​stage and the victims are natives of Bengaluru City, Ballari and Davangere.

Subsequently, Ramesh introduced Mirjakar, a retired government employee, and others to Raghavendra, stating that further dealings would be handled through him.

Over the next few years, more aspirants were brought into the network, and payments continued in both cash and bank transfers. A total of 57 aspirants paid Rs 1.83 crore, with nearly Rs 48 lakh directly transferred to Raghavendra’s bank account.​

Despite repeated follow-ups, no jobs were secured. Mirjakar alleged that the accused kept delaying the process on various pretexts. In October 2023, when pressure mounted for a refund, Raghavendra reportedly introduced another person, Manjunath Nayak, claiming he had been entrusted with the funds.

In November 2023, the accused allegedly returned Rs 29 lakh in instalments and the amount was handed over to Dhruvakumar for safekeeping as it could not be transported safely. However, Dhruvakumar allegedly failed to return the money and retained it despite repeated demands. Further, the accused issued six cheques towards repayment, all of which bounced due to insufficient funds. Then he stopped responding to calls and messages, and in some cases blocked the victims’ phone numbers.

Based on a complaint, the CCB registered a case and ​have been verifying bank transactions​ and the roles of each accused in the alleged fraud​, a senior police officer said.