50 lose security deposits in job scam in Visakhapatnam

The Visakhapatnam City Police recently uncovered a job scam in the city, run by a group of ten people, who were using numerous fraudulent practices to deceive unemployed youth. The case was registered at at II Town Police Station.

According to the complaint filed by Pedada Nagamani, a resident of Peda Gantayada, a company named “A S Management Services” conducted interviews on 8 August 2024 at Regus Business Center, Dr Agarwal Eye Hospital building, Bhanojinagar to provide data entry jobs (work from home), with salaries ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000.

The representatives collected security deposits ranging from Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,500 from each candidate. However, they failed to provide the promised jobs or necessary equipment like laptops. When the interviewed employees checked the office at Bhanojinagar, they found it abandoned and empty. About 50 to 60 individuals who attended the interview fell victim to the fraud.

The police registered a case and initiated an investigation, wherein they found that 10 individuals posing as ‘company representatives’ were a part of the scam.

The accused include Bhavana Saini, Dhillon Resham Singh, Banoth Savithri, and Vikranth Singh (absconding), who were all the ‘Employees recruiting staff’. Sonia, and Anant Kumar Sharma, who are both absconding, posed as Managing Directors of A S Managements. Sanjana Sharma, absconding, took on the role of Manager of AS Managements. Additionally, Divyavani, Navya, and ChennaKesava Reddy, all absconding, pretended to be HR employees who conducted
interviews.

Three of the accused, Bhavana Saini, Dhillon Resham Singh, Banoth Savithri, were apprehended in Vijayawada and brought to Visakhapatnam. They have been remanded in judicial custody until September 13, 2024.

Reportedly, Amit Kumar Sharma, the company’s Managing Director, had established “A S Management Services Pvt Ltd” under his wife’s name and hired various staff members to conduct fraudulent interviews across multiple cities, including Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, and Vijayawada. The accused collected small deposits from a large number of victims.

The scam operated on the basis of collecting low-security deposits to attract numerous job seekers and then not providing the jobs or returning the deposits. As the amounts taken were small, this would discourage victims from reporting the scam and let the accused fraud more people undetected, said the press note from Visakhapatnam City Police.

The Visakhapatnam police are continuing search for additional suspects of the job scam, including Sonia Sharma, Sanjana Sharma, and others. They urge any other victims to come forward and report their cases. The public is advised to exercise caution and thoroughly vet any online job offers or companies before making financial commitments.

Stay tuned to Yo! Vizag website and Instagram for more city and news updates.