MCom grad faked govt connections to dupe job seekers, held

Lucknow: An MCom graduate who posed as a senior govt official and duped people by promising govt jobs was arrested in UP’s Maharajganj on Thursday.Police said the accused, Vineet Kumar Singh alias Vishal Singh, 30, a resident of Maharajganj, boasted to job seekers of having influence in govt corridors owing to his proximity to senior UP bureaucrats.The arrest came in a ₹63 lakh fraud case. He was arrested in Thoothibari on the basis of a tipoff. He was absconding since the registration of a case against him.Maharajganj SP Shakti Mohan Avasthy said one of the complainants alleged that Vineet took ₹63 lakh from him between 2020 and 2025 on the pretext of arranging a govt job, facilitating property registrations, and helping with medical treatment expenses. Police said the accused continued taking money through multiple transactions while repeatedly assuring the victim that the promised job would soon materialise.“Vineet threatened the complainant and his family with false criminal cases whenever demands for a refund were made. Suspicion arose when no job was secured despite years of assurances, prompting the victim to verify the accused’s claims and eventually approach the police,” said Avasthy.Police probe revealed that Vineet had duped multiple people by impersonating a govt officer and using forged credentials to gain their trust. A case was registered under Sections 419, 420 and 467 of the IPC.Police recovered fake Aadhaar, driving licence and two smartphones, allegedly used by Vineet to mislead victims and support his false identity claims. Vineet was produced before a court and sent to judicial custody.