Central Crime Branch arrests three involved in Rs 80 lakh railway job scam

The Organised Crime Wing identified the suspects as Laxmikanth Hosmani (46), Murali (42), and Kullappa Singhe (38), who have remanded in judicial custody by a Bengaluru court.

Bengaluru: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) on Friday announced the arrest of three individuals accused of duping victims with fake promises of railway jobs as ticket collectors, swindling Rs 80 lakh in the process.

The Organised Crime Wing identified the suspects as Laxmikanth Hosmani (46), Murali (42), and Kullappa Singhe (38). A Bengaluru court has remanded them to judicial custody.

Investigators said Murali, an employee of a film production company, met Hosmani near Vidhana Soudha in 2022. Claiming to have connections with top officials in the Railway Department, Murali persuaded Hosmani to recruit candidates for ticket collector positions for Rs 16 lakh per candidate.

Believing Murali's claims, Hosmani approached four relatives and convinced them to pay a total of Rs 80 lakh to Singhe in multiple installments. The suspects then sent fake admission letters to the victims via email and post.

When the victims realised they had been defrauded, they lodged a complaint with the police.

The CCB has charged the suspects under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 120B (criminal conspiracy), 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), and 471 (using forged documents as genuine).