Muzaffarpur: The Muzaffarpur police have uncovered a large-scale gang involved in duping people by offering fake jobs in the Indian Railways. The mastermind, Sachendra Sharma alias Dada (78), was arrested from the Brahmapura Police Station area. Sharma’s gang hacked the Railway Recruitment Board’s (RRB) website, conducted fake exams, and even released falsified results.
To further deceive their victims, the gang took them to Hajipur Railway Hospital for medical examinations. They also rented a room near Sasaram Railway Station, where the victims received training. To maintain the illusion, the gang even provided three months’ salary, convincing the victims that their employment was legitimate.
Sachendra’s influence was so significant that access to him was restricted. Bhojpuri bhajan singer Sonu Muskaan facilitated meetings with him. To meet Sachendra, victims had to pay an additional Rs 1 lakh. For over two decades, Sachendra has been conning people in the name of railway recruitment, with these activities detailed in the FIR.
The gang’s network spanned three states, with fraudulent activities reported in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Odisha. In 2010, Sachendra scammed several boys and arranged their fake appointments in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. The case was eventually handed over to the CBI, which placed a bounty of Rs 50,000 on Sachendra’s head.
The scam came to light when Sachendra trained Saurabh Kumar, a resident of Bar Chowk, Bela Police Station, for four months at Sasaram Railway Station, promising him a job as a ticket collector (TC) under the sports quota in Group C. On September 7, Saurabh received a joining letter and went to Wazirganj Railway Station in Gaya. However, the station master identified the documents as fake.
Similarly, Saurabh’s friend, Mohan Kumar, from Ahiyapur Police Station, was duped into believing he had a job in Dhanbad. Both victims filed an FIR at the Bela Industrial Area Police Station on September 9, leading to the exposure of the racket.
According to the FIR, Shyambabu Prasad, a potato-onion trader, introduced Saurabh and Mohan to Sonu Muskaan, who claimed that Sachendra Sharma could secure government jobs for a fee. Initially, Rs 50,000 was demanded for a meeting, but Sonu later raised the price to Rs 1 lakh. The victims handed over the money to Sachendra at his residence, where they were made to fill out forms, and Sachendra promised a TC job through the sports quota for Rs 7 lakh.
During interrogation, police revealed that the gang first hacked the RRB website, published fake vacancies, and contacted job seekers. For a Group C job, they charged Rs 7 lakh. Once the results were falsified and posted on the official website, candidates were taken to Hajipur Railway Hospital for medical checks. Following this, they were trained at a rented location near Sasaram Railway Station.
On Wednesday, a special team led by Bela Police Station in-charge, Ranjana Verma, raided the fake training camp near Sasaram Railway Station. Before the team could arrive, the trainer, Rajiv Mishra, fled the spot. Documents were seized, and nearby residents’ statements were recorded.
ASP Nagar Bhanu Pratap Singh confirmed that all accused have absconded from their hideouts, but the police are continuing raids to apprehend them.
नौकरी लगाने के नाम पर ठगी करने वाले गिरोह के सदस्य गिरफ्तार….
श्री भानू प्रताप सिंह, सहायक पुलिस अधीक्षक, नगर,-01, मुजफ्फरपुर द्वारा किए गए प्रेस वार्ता का अंश….#BiharPolice#janpolice#Muzaffarpurpolice#bihar_police_for_your_help pic.twitter.com/4DdlF0IXV4
— Muzaffarpur Police (@MuzaffarpurPol3) September 10, 2024
Sachendra Sharma has been active in fake railway recruitment since 2008. His gang lured unemployed youth by claiming they had connections within the RRB. In 2010, the CBI took over the investigation of a similar scam in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, and announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for Sachendra’s capture.
The gang’s tactics included hacking the RRB website to manipulate exam results. They even provided medical examinations at Hajipur Railway Hospital and fake joining letters to further convince their victims. The gang also issued fake salaries for two to three months to make the job seem genuine.
Police discovered that Sachendra, after his retirement as a timekeeper from Bihar Transport, amassed significant wealth through his fraudulent schemes. The police have initiated an investigation into his properties in Brahmpura Kila Dam and Bharthua, Aurai.
City SP Awadhesh Dixit stated that a team has been assigned to assess Sachendra Sharma’s assets. He also mentioned that Sachendra’s bail plea has been filed and will be heard on Thursday in the judicial magistrate’s court. Additionally, all accused, including Bhojpuri singer Sonu Muskaan, are being pursued, and raids are ongoing to arrest them.
