Laxmikant Meher, 37, was detained on Thursday in Berhampur for reportedly attempting to trick job searchers by posting a phoney job posting at the Medical College and Hospital in Phulbani, which is situated in the Kandhamal district. The advertisement was printed and affixed to walls in multiple locations throughout Phulbani, claiming to provide employment opportunities for a variety of positions at the hospital. It instructed those who wanted further information about the job openings to get in touch with an instant messaging number. The hospital itself, however, has not yet opened for business, therefore the advertisement is wholly false.
Laxmikant Meher was taken into custody at his hamlet of Chichuguda, which is under the jurisdiction of the Junagarh police station in Kalahandi. Several fake ad leaflets and a cell phone were confiscated from him by the police. Meher has a small store in his hamlet, according to P Swaroop Kissan, the inspector of the Phulbani Town Police Station. He has previously engaged in criminal activity. In the same district, he had previously been detained twice in relation to defrauding instances. On June 17, 2019, the Phulbani Town police station filed the first case against him, and on September 2, 2021, the Tumudibandha police station filed the second.
Following these earlier events, Meher was released on bond; however, he attempted to defraud jobseekers once again. On Wednesday, Akshaya Kumar Sahu, the district medical officer-turned-superintendent of the Phulbani district headquarters hospital, complained to the Town Police Station about the fraudulent advertisement. Sahu explained that the medical college, which is still not in existence, had not issued any such hiring notification. Police have established that the advertisement was completely fake.
Meher confessed to his crime during police questioning, saying that he started getting calls from five to six job seekers every day asking about the openings after he posted the phoney advertisements. He has now been arrested after the police opened a complaint against him. The arrest brings to light the persistent problem of scammers taking advantage of job seekers’ desperate need for work, particularly in the absence of a formal announcement or opportunity. The public is reminded by this case to be wary of such dishonest tactics and to double-check any information pertaining to employment before acting upon it.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA