How Fake Railway Job Letters Led ED to a Massive Multi-State Recruitment Scam

ED raided 15 locations across six states in a fake government job scam. The organised gang sent forged joining letters using fake emails and even paid salaries to gain trust. The scam began with railways and later spread to over 40 govt departments.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday carried out large-scale search operations across six states as part of a money laundering investigation into a major fake government job scam. The scam involved an organised gang that cheated job aspirants by sending them forged appointment and joining letters for government jobs.

Officials said the searches were conducted at 15 locations across India. The operations began early in the morning and were led by the ED’s Patna Zonal Office, working closely with state police teams.

The case has shocked investigators because of its wide reach and the number of government departments that were falsely used to trap victims.

Scam started with railways, later spread to 40 departments

According to officials, the fraud was first detected in the name of Indian Railways. However, a deeper investigation revealed that the scam was far bigger than initially believed.

The gang is suspected to have used the names of over 40 government organisations and departments. These include the Forest Department, Railway Recruitment Board (RRB), Indian Post, Income Tax Department, several High Courts, Public Works Department (PWD), the Bihar government, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Rajasthan Secretariat and other central and state bodies.

Investigators said aspirants were made to believe they had secured genuine government jobs after receiving professional-looking appointment and joining letters.

Fake emails used to look like official government accounts

Officials revealed that the accused created fake email accounts that closely resembled official government email IDs. These emails were used to send forged appointment letters, joining instructions and salary details to job seekers.

Because the emails appeared to come from official government domains, many victims trusted them and followed the instructions without doubt.

The ED said this method helped the gang appear genuine and avoid suspicion for a long time.

Victims paid salary to build trust

To further win the confidence of victims, the gang even paid salaries to some aspirants for two to three months. Officials said these payments made the scam look completely real.

Some victims were falsely shown as working in posts such as Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs) and technicians in the Indian Railways.

After the initial period, the payments stopped, and victims later realised they had been cheated.

Searches conducted across 15 locations in six states

The ED confirmed that searches were conducted at multiple locations across the country.

In Bihar, searches took place in Muzaffarpur (one location) and Motihari (two locations). In West Bengal, two locations in Kolkata were searched. In Kerala, raids were carried out in Ernakulam, Pandalam, Adoor and Kodur.

Search operations were also conducted in Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Rajkot in Gujarat, and four locations in Uttar Pradesh, including Gorakhpur (two), Prayagraj (one) and Lucknow (one).

Officials said documents, digital devices and financial records are being examined.

Money laundering angle under investigation

The ED is probing the case under money laundering laws. Officials said they are tracking how the illegal money collected from job seekers was moved, hidden or used. The investigation is ongoing, and more action is expected as evidence is analysed.

Authorities have once again warned job aspirants to verify recruitment details only through official government websites and trusted sources.

(With inputs from agencies)