Vizag Police Arrest Man Posing as DSP in Major Job Fraud Scam
In a significant crackdown on employment fraud, the Visakhapatnam city police have apprehended Ch Lochana Kumar, a man accused of impersonating a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and deceiving numerous youths with false job assurances. Investigations have uncovered that Kumar, who has been unemployed for years, has been systematically cheating individuals across Vizag for the past six years under the pretense of facilitating police recruitment.
Details of the Fraudulent Activities
Kumar faces serious charges including cheating, extortion, and job fraud, with cases registered under the jurisdictions of the airport, Malkapuram, MVP, and Fourth Town police stations. Police revealed that he falsely claimed to have secured a rank in the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) Group-I examinations and was appointed as a DSP. This fabricated success story was even published in a few vernacular newspapers, lending an air of credibility to his deceitful claims.
The first documented case against Kumar dates back to July 2019, when he duped a youth of Rs 26,000 by offering a false job promise and issuing a counterfeit appointment order. More recently, the Fourth Town police booked him for posing as the DSP of the APSP 6th Battalion in Mangalagiri and collecting a staggering Rs 11 lakh from a woman aspirant. When the victim realized the scam and demanded her money back, Kumar returned only Rs 5 lakh, highlighting the brazen nature of his fraud.
Extent of the Scam and Ongoing Investigation
Sources indicate that Kumar's audacity extended to visiting the district police training centre in Nellore as a guest faculty member before his true identity was exposed. Police are now working diligently to establish the total number of victims duped by Kumar across the state, as his fraudulent activities may have impacted many more individuals beyond the known cases.
In light of this incident, authorities have issued a stern warning to unemployed youth, urging them not to fall prey to fake job promises made by such fraudsters. They have also encouraged the public to report any suspicious activities or fraudsters by calling the dedicated helpline number 7995095799, emphasizing the importance of vigilance in combating such scams.
This arrest underscores the persistent challenges faced by job seekers in India and the need for enhanced awareness and verification processes to prevent exploitation by impostors. The Vizag police's proactive measures aim to bring justice to the victims and deter similar fraudulent schemes in the future.
