Job Scam: Badarpur Police Arrests Two for Embezzling Money in the Name of Govt. Employment

Despite the Assam Chief Minister’s claims of significantly reduced unemployment rates, many jobless youths in the state continue to fall victim to “cash for job” scams. Fraudsters exploit vulnerable individuals, collecting money with promises of government jobs before disappearing without delivering on their promises. Recently, Karimganj Police arrested two such agents from Hailakandi and Cachar in Barak Valley, one of whom is a state government employee, and they are now facing legal consequences.

In a significant development, Karimganj police arrested two individuals yesterday for running a fraudulent operation, embezzling money by promising government jobs to unemployed youths in Badarpur. The scam, which targeted desperate job seekers, was unearthed after a four-month-long investigation.

The accused, Abdul Samad Barbhuiya, a teacher at Bagpur High School (Sonabarighat), and Akhtar Hussain Majumdar from Paikan village in Hailakandi, promised locals the position of Booth Level Officers (BLO) in exchange for hefty sums of money. Barbhuiya, a government employee, and Majumdar convinced the victims that they could secure the jobs by paying ₹11,000 upfront, followed by an additional ₹50,000 after the job confirmation.

The scammers primarily targeted the Anchalik Panchayat (AP) members of the Umarpur Goan Panchayat in Badarpur, collecting documents of potential job seekers and fooling them into believing they could secure these coveted positions. “On 18 May I received this call from a man named Jamal Uddin (on Truecaller) who talked about the government jobs. We are poor people. When they asked us to select candidates, I sent the documents of three young women and men from our area, and they were ready to pay the demanded money even by selling their land,” said Shuraf Uddin Raju, the nominee of the AP Member.

Several victims reported paying over ₹1 lakh collectively through UPI payments to accounts linked to the scammers. When the scammers disappeared after the initial payments, suspicions grew, and complaints were filed at Karimganj Indian Bank. Bank officials discovered that large sums had been withdrawn immediately, and upon investigating, they blocked the scammers’ accounts. Despite threats from one of the scammers, Eklas Uddin, investigations continued, leading to the breakthrough arrests.

Another member of the same Gaon Panchayat shared, “A total of 10 people from our village were scammed, collectively transferring ₹1.02 lakh via UPI payments. The Google Pay account used for the transactions was registered under the name Eklas Uddin, with an Indian Bank branch in Bangalore. The scammers demanded ₹42,000 for a 3rd-grade government position along with an HS pass certificate, and ₹27,000 for a 4th-grade position. After we paid ₹1.02 lakh, they disappeared. All the phone numbers they used were either switched off or unreachable. As suspicions grew, we realized we had been cheated and filed a complaint with Karimganj Indian Bank regarding Eklas Uddin’s account. The bank manager confirmed that ₹40,000 had been withdrawn on the same day we made the transfers. Given the fraudulent activity, the manager agreed to block the account”.

“The next day, Eklas Uddin went to a Bank of India branch in Silchar, where he discovered that his account had been blocked by the Karimganj branch. He then went there to investigate, and the manager shared my contact details with him. Eklas Uddin called me, demanding that I unblock his account, using abusive language and even threatening me. He also boasted about his connections with several MLAs and MPs from the Barak Valley”, he further added.

This scam not only impacted Badarpur but also neighbouring areas, with many others falling victim to the fraud network. The police are investigating further to identify additional culprits.

The case has been registered under Badarpur PS Case No. 153/24, under Sections 419 and 420 of the IPC. Although the complaint was lodged in June, the accused had been evading arrest until now. Police officials have assured that further arrests will be made, and the entire network will be dismantled. The accused are Abdul Samad Barbhuiya, a government school teacher from Dhonehari Pt II, PS-Sonai, District Cachar, and Akhtar Hussain aka Jamal Uddin Majumdar from Paikan village, Hailakandi district. They were arrested by Badarpur police.

Badarpur Police Station’s O/c said, “Four months back we received this complaint of fraudulent scam and looting money from the people of Badarpur. After a long operation, yesterday (October 20), with the help of Sonai Police (in Cachar) we were able to arrest two of them involved in this network. One of them is a government employee”.

This scam has brought to light the ongoing menace of “cash for job” schemes, despite the Assam government’s steps to end these scams.