The police of Chandigarh has accused Akhil Sharma, a Sangrur dweller of publishing a counterfeit job ad for a data entry operator vacancy within the State Election Commission (SEC).
Dinesh Gupta got approached by an anonymous acquaintance through a widely used communication app, WhatsApp notifying him of the employment opportunity. The information portrayed the employment with free food, and off on weekends besides a monthly salary of twenty-eight thousand and eight hundred rupees Suspicious of the offer, Gupta reported the message to the relevant authorities.
Following up on the lead, officials contacted the phone number listed in the advertisement. The individual who answered identified himself as Akhil Sharma, an assistant sales manager at Hindustan Unilever in Patiala. However, Sharma denied any involvement in posting the fake job ad.
Further investigation revealed that the phone number belonged to a WhatsApp account named “Career Jobs.” When contacted, this account responded with an automated message. Truecaller identification linked the number to “Career Concepts,” suggesting a potential pattern of using aliases.
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The investigation then reached HDFC employee Pankaj Rathore, who had originally forwarded the message to Gupta. Rathore confirmed that the number belonged to Sharma and that Sharma was known for frequently posting job advertisements under various aliases.
Based on the findings, the SEC filed a complaint, and a case has been registered against Sharma at the Sector 17 police station. The charges include cheating (IPC Section 420), making use of a forged document or electronic record (IPC Section 468), and dishonestly representing oneself as belonging to a particular service or profession (IPC Section 419). Additionally, a charge under Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act for violating the provisions for punishment for online communication that causes discomfort or annoyance or harm has been included.
The Chandigarh police are currently investigating the case to track down Sharma and any potential accomplices involved in the fraudulent job scheme.
