Man poses as FCI director, cheats jobseekers of ₹68L

Vadodara: A man who allegedly posed as a director of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was arrested by Halol (rural) police on Thursday for cheating several people by promising them govt jobs in Gujarat.

The accused, Bharat Parmar, had been allegedly duping victims for several years by claiming to have high-level contacts in govt departments.

According to police, Parmar met Manu Patel, a retired railway employee, in 2020. He introduced himself as an FCI director and claimed that he could provide govt or PSU jobs in exchange for money. Patel later approached him seeking a govt job for his son.

Patel paid Parmar Rs 7.78 lakh, after which the accused issued an interview call letter. However, no further communication followed for months, raising suspicion. When Patel demanded his money back, Parmar returned Rs 3 lakh but withheld the rest.

Patel later learned that Parmar had similarly cheated several others by issuing fake appointment and interview letters after collecting money.

After the complaint was filed, Halol (rural) police arrested Parmar from a hotel on the Halol-Godhra road. Police said he had allegedly collected over Rs 68 lakh from multiple victims using forged documents.

Parmar, who is a Class 7 dropout, reportedly lived in a luxurious bungalow in Halol. Police have seized 15 bank passbooks, eight mobile phones, fake FCI letterheads and bogus job call letters from his possession. Further investigation is underway to identify possible accomplices in the racket.