Gorakhpur: Shahpur police have registered an FIR against a dismissed railway employee after more than 70 unemployed youths were allegedly cheated in the name of railway job recruitment. The accused, identified as Deepak Kumar Singh, is alleged to have collected money from candidates through QR code payments while running a fake recruitment network through social media and online channels.
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Fake Interviews Draw Candidates to Workshop
According to officials, the accused posed as a railway-linked officer and circulated messages inviting candidates from multiple districts to apply for railway jobs. The youths were allegedly asked to appear for interviews on May 23 at the railway mechanical workshop premises in Gorakhpur.
On the scheduled date, around 60 to 70 candidates reached the workshop for interviews. Several of them carried documents related to appointment and interview calls, which made the process appear official. The workshop administration, however, confirmed that no such recruitment drive had been authorised.
The large gathering of candidates prompted an internal verification process, after which railway officials found that the recruitment exercise was fake. A complaint was then filed by senior personnel officers at Shahpur police station.
QR Payments Used to Collect Money
Investigators found that the candidates were allegedly charged between ₹5,000 and ₹10,000 each in the name of registration fees, tool charges and other procedural expenses. The payments were collected through QR codes sent to their mobile phones, transferring the money directly into bank accounts controlled by the accused.
To make the process appear genuine, the accused allegedly shared his HRMS ID and password with some candidates. Officials said this created a false sense of authenticity and made the victims believe the recruitment was linked to the railway system.
A railway departmental inquiry found that the accused had earlier worked at the Alambagh workshop in Lucknow before being dismissed from service. Despite his removal, he allegedly used his former association with the railway system to mislead job seekers.
Police Probe Wider Network
Preliminary findings indicate that the mobile number used by the accused does not match official HRMS records, raising concerns over possible misuse of identity and departmental data. Police are investigating whether more people were involved in the alleged racket and whether additional candidates were defrauded.
Cyber crime expert and former IPS officer Professor Triveni Singh said such frauds rely on social engineering and manipulation of digital trust. “When a scam is linked to job opportunities, victims tend to act emotionally and trust without verification, which becomes the biggest vulnerability exploited by criminals,” he said.
Railway authorities are examining digital and documentary evidence, including QR code transactions, social media advertisements and call records, to trace the wider network behind the fraud.
SP City confirmed that an FIR has been registered and said further legal action will be taken on the basis of evidence gathered during the investigation. Authorities have indicated that more arrests cannot be ruled out as the probe progresses.
