Fake FCI officer’s fraud trail widens; police officials among victims

Vadodara: A day after Bharat Parmar was arrested for allegedly cheating several people by promising them govt jobs in Gujarat, investigators revealed that the fake Food Corporation of India (FCI) director had also duped police officials and swindled victims of nearly Rs 1.51 crore.

Parmar was arrested on Thursday and has been remanded to three days of police custody as police probe the alleged job racket, which is suspected to have a much wider reach across the state.

Police said Parmar allegedly collected Rs 13 lakh and Rs 20 lakh from two senior police sub-inspectors (PSIs) after assuring them that he would secure govt jobs for their sons. He also took money from the personal assistant of a superintendent of police (SP) on the promise of arranging jobs for his son and son-in-law. However, he later returned the amount to the official, police said.

Investigators suspect that many more people may have fallen victim to the fraud. Despite being educated only up to Class VII, Parmar allegedly posed as a senior FCI official and used forged documents to gain the confidence of job seekers.

As part of the investigation, police on Friday raided a photocopy shop in Godhra where fake appointment and interview letters were allegedly printed. Officials said Parmar would provide forged call letters to victims to convince them that recruitment processes were underway before collecting money from them.

The scam came to light after Manu Patel, a retired railway employee, lodged a complaint against Parmar. Patel told police that he came into contact with the accused in 2020, when Parmar introduced himself as an FCI director with strong connections in government departments and public sector undertakings.

Believing Parmar’s claims, Patel allegedly paid Rs 7.78 lakh to secure a job for his son. Parmar later handed him what appeared to be an official interview call letter. However, when no interview materialised for months, Patel grew suspicious and began questioning him.

According to police, Parmar kept delaying the matter. When Patel demanded a refund, the accused returned Rs 3 lakh but allegedly failed to repay the remaining amount, prompting Patel to approach the police.

During searches at Parmar’s luxurious bungalow in Halol, investigators seized 15 bank passbooks, eight mobile phones, fake FCI letterheads and forged job call letters. The recovered material is being scrutinised to identify additional victims and track the money trail.