Woman defrauded of Rs 2.5 lakh in job scam

Thiruvananthapuram: A 43-year-old woman, who runs a food outlet near the domestic airport, was defrauded of Rs 2.5 lakh by two men promising her a job as a chef at Poojappura special sub-jail.
On the complaint of the woman, Valiyathura police registered a case against Muhammad Ali of Panamanna in Palakkad and his friend Ali Chackalackal under IPC sections 420 for cheating and 409 for criminal breach of trust.
She has been running the food outlet for the past couple of years. She got acquainted with the accused when they visited the shop to have food.
The accused, who claimed to be top govt officials, then befriended the woman. They told her that if she paid the amount, a permanent govt job as a chef could be arranged for her at the jail. She then paid the money at various intervals between April 2022 and Oct 2023.
"The accused informed the woman that the money was for bribing govt officials and also directed her to open a Gmail account to which a job confirmation memo would be issued. Days later, she received mail, however when she realised it was fake, she asked them to return the money. They then paid her Rs 40,000 last year with a promise that the rest of the amount would be cleared soon. However, the accused stopped responding to her calls, and the woman approached the police with a complaint," said police.
Police have intensified the search for the accused. Their address was found to be fake.