The searches, conducted by the ED's zonal office, targetted an organised gang allegedly involved in defrauding job aspirants by offering fake appointments across multiple government departments. Around 15 locations were searched as part of the operation.
According to the investigating agency, the accused misled victims in a manner that made it difficult for them to distinguish between genuine and fake recruitment processes. The racket allegedly promised government jobs in more than 40 departments and institutions.
Railways, other departments misused
A senior ED official said the gang had been operating for a long period and initially projected the scam as recruitment linked to Indian Railways. However, investigations later revealed that the network extended far beyond the railways.
Departments and institutions whose names were allegedly misused include the Forest Department, Railway Recruitment Board (RRB), India Post, Income Tax Department, High Court, Public Works Department (PWD), Bihar government departments, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Rajasthan Secretariat, among several others.
Fake email IDs, joining letters
The agency said the accused created fake email IDs closely resembling official government domains and issued fraudulent appointment and joining letters to victims. To gain credibility, some victims were even paid salaries for two to three months.
Several aspirants were promised appointments to posts such as Railway Protection Force (RPF), Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) and technician roles in the Indian Railways.
Searches across multiple states
Search operations were conducted at multiple locations, including Muzaffarpur and Motihari in Bihar; Kolkata in West Bengal; Ernakulam, Pandalam, Adoor and Kodur in Kerala; Chennai in Tamil Nadu; Rajkot in Gujarat; and Gorakhpur, Prayagraj (Allahabad) and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.
The ED said it is examining financial transactions linked to the accused and probing their specific roles in the alleged scam. Further investigation is underway.
