Ponda: Police have arrested a second accused in the alleged cash-for-job scam in which several unemployed youths from Valpoi constituency were allegedly duped with promises of government jobs in the Health Department.
The second accused has been identified as Subhash Sitaram Naik (40), a resident of Pali-Bicholim.
Police sources said that transactions amounting to nearly Rs 3 lakh were allegedly routed through him as part of the larger recruitment scam, which is estimated to involve around Rs 18 lakh.
Police had earlier arrested the main accused, Suhana Sujay Naik (39) of Sankhali, who allegedly assured job seekers of government posts in the Health Department in exchange for large sums of money. Victims were allegedly promised positions such as Health Officer, clerk and driver.
Investigations have further revealed that fake CBT examination question papers were allegedly circulated among candidates to create an impression that the recruitment process had already been manipulated and was under control. Believing these assurances, several job seekers allegedly paid lakhs of rupees in the hope of securing government employment.
Ponda Police had earlier registered a cheating case against the accused persons and launched a detailed investigation into the alleged fraud.
The main accused was produced before the JMFC Court in Ponda and remanded to six days of police custody.
With the arrest of Subhash Naik, police suspect that a wider network may be involved in the scam. Further investigation is underway to trace the money trail and identify additional accused connected to the alleged fake recruitment racket.
