#JustIn: Odisha Police Bust Massive Job Scam That Cheated 2,000 People of ₹2 Crore
Odisha police expose ₹2 crore fake job scam cheating 2,000 people.
In a major breakthrough, the Sambalpur police have busted a large-scale job fraud racket that allegedly cheated around 2,000 people across four districts of Odisha, siphoning off nearly ₹2 crore. The accused duped job seekers by promising sanitation jobs under a fake company called RMAX Private Limited, which they falsely claimed was linked to the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC).
Superintendent of Police Mukesh Bhamoo said two men — Samrat Ray (32) from Badabazaar and Padmalaya Tandi (34) from Chiplima — have been arrested. The duo, along with an accomplice based in Bhubaneswar, conducted recruitment drives across Sambalpur, Bargarh, Boudh, and Sonepur. They collected ₹12,000 each from hundreds of unemployed youths, offering fake job assurances with daily wages of ₹400.
Soon after doubts were raised by applicants demanding appointment letters, the scam surfaced. Verification by the SMC revealed that RMAX Pvt Ltd was completely fake and had no connection with any government department. Following a complaint filed by one of the victims, Padma Lochan Gardia, police formed special teams to track down the culprits.
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During raids, officers seized ₹62.01 lakh in cash, a mini-van, a car, several Aadhaar cards, bank passbooks, and documents belonging to victims from the possession of the accused. According to SP Bhamoo, the gang mainly preyed on rural victims by first paying them small wages to win their trust and then urging them to bring in others, thereby expanding the scam’s reach.
“All transactions were done in cash, leaving no digital trail,” Bhamoo said, adding that investigators are trying to trace the total amount collected and identify the third accused in Bhubaneswar. The police have urged citizens to remain cautious and report any suspicious job offers promising direct recruitment without proper verification.
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