Touts target BU job aspirants with fake offer letters

Touts have targeted Bangalore University once again. This time, job aspirants are the victims, not applicants for the postgraduate courses.

The fraudsters issued ‘offer letters’ on fake university letterheads, forging the signature of the vice-chancellor, to at least 10 job aspirants from whom they received lakhs of rupees.

The fraud came to light recently after a job applicant approached the Hebbagodi police with a fake offer letter.

When the police approached the university to verify the letter, the vice-chancellor and registrar were shocked to see their forged signatures.

“We were shocked to see the forged letterhead and the signatures. We have clarified to the police that the letter was fake,” vice-chancellor professor K R Venugopal told DH. The university is cooperating with the police in the investigation.

According to the university authorities, the police have brought about 10 such fake offer letters for verification so far. “We verified each letter and have informed the police that they are fake,” Venugopal said.

DH obtained a copy of the fake appointment orders for the posts of Grade 1 officers at the university. The offer letter has the university logo and signatures of the vice-chancellor and registrar.

Meanwhile, officials said a few of the aspirants who were cheated by touts had approached the university with the offer letters.

“Recently, our staff informed us that a few aspirants even approached the university with the fake appointment letters. We sent them back, saying we did not issue the letters,” a senior official said.

Paid Rs 50K-Rs 2 lakh

According to the probe so far, each aspirant has paid Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh to the touts.

Following the incident, the university has decided to issue a public notice, explaining there are no such agencies to fill the vacancies at the university, and everything would be transparent through media publication.