No Karnataka HC relief for father-daughter duo booked for running fake jobs racket

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday refused to quash criminal proceedings against a woman and her father acccused of duping job seekers by promising government jobs through fake appointment orders, forged email IDs and sham training programmes [Shamshad Begum & another Vs State of Karnataka].

Justice M Nagaprasanna was dealing with petitions filed by Shamshad Begum and her father MA Mansoor Ahmed to quash the case against them.

The Court dismissed the petitions, holding that the allegations disclose a well-orchestrated scheme to cheat unsuspecting aspirants seeking government jobs.

"The facts obtaining are in the nature of a classic potboiler. This Court would not lend its protective hands to the petitioners who have hoodwinked naive, gullible people with fake appointment orders, fake email IDs, fake training centres or departments of the Government. It is a case of fake in uno, fake in omnibus," the Court observed.

According to the prosecution, the accused had induced several job seekers to transfer money online after assuring them of government employment.

They allegedly created fake email IDs, issued forged appointment orders and directed candidates to attend purported training programmes in Kolkata and Maharashtra. The candidates later discovered that the appointments and training programmes were entirely fictitious.

The prosecution further submitted that the investigation revealed online transfers aggregating about ₹5.3 crore made by multiple persons to the accused.

The two accused of orchestrating the scam were arrested in the case last month.

They later filed petitions to quash the first information report (FIR) registered against them for offences under Sections 120B, 419, 420, 406, 465, 468, 471, 504, 506 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Senior Advocate MT Nanaiah, appearing for the accused/ petitioners, argued that none of the alleged victims had lodged the complaint.

He contended that the complainant had no connection with the alleged job scam. The criminal proceedings were only a counterblast to cheque dishonour proceedings instituted earlier by the petitioners, he added.

Special Public Prosecutor BN Jagadeesha, representing the State, countered that the investigation had uncovered an elaborate racket involving forged appointment orders, fabricated government email IDs, fake departments and sham training arrangements.

He argued that the petitioners had collected nearly ₹5.3 crore from job aspirants by falsely promising appointments in various government departments while also projecting themselves as Congress party leaders.

After considering the rival arguments, the Court dismissed the petition to quash the case.

It found that the complaint meticulously narrated the modus operandi adopted by the accused and disclosed sufficient material warranting investigation.

The Bench further observed that the allegations extended far beyond a private dispute between the complainant and the accused. The complaint detailed how several persons were allegedly induced to part with substantial sums on the promise of securing government employment.

The Court further noted that if the allegations had been confined merely to promises of employment, the matter may have stood on a different footing. However, the allegations of creating fake email IDs, forging appointment orders, fabricating government departments and sending candidates to fictitious training programmes prima facie disclosed a larger conspiracy to cheat unsuspecting job seekers.

Holding that the allegations required a full-fledged investigation, the Court dismissed the petitions seeking the quashing of the FIR.