Thiruvananthapuram: One of the absconding accused in the PSC job fraud scam has surrendered in court. Sreejesh, a resident of Chengannur, surrendered in the Additional Sessions Court, Vanchiyoor, making him the third accused to do so.
He, along with others, is accused of cheating prospective job seekers of crores of rupees by falsely promising public sector employments through forged letters purportedly from the state Public Service Commission (PSC).
Sreejesh, who was remanded by the court, was taken into custody by the Kazhakottam ACP and was subsequently taken to jail after interrogation. With this, the total number of persons arrested in connection with the case has risen to four. Three of the accused had previously surrendered at police stations. However, the alleged mastermind, Jithin Lal of Neruvassery in Thrissur, remains at large.
Although a police team under Prithviraj, the then Assistant Commissioner of Police, investigated the case for months and issued look-out notices, the chief accused individuals had remained elusive. The police investigation had almost ground to a halt when the latest surrender took place.
According to police reports, Sreejesh confessed to having conducted online interviews with job aspirants, impersonating an official of the Public Service Commission. This activity was orchestrated by his accomplice Jithin Lal. Among the five-member gang of fraudsters, Jithin Lal’s wife Rajalakshmi, Sreejesh’s wife Rasmi, and their friend Joicy were previously apprehended.
Rajalakshmi and Rasmi voluntarily surrendered at the police station, with Rasmi having been brought to Thiruvananthapuram by her husband Sreejesh. Although officials of the Special Branch passed on this information to the investigating team, Sreejesh could not be nabbed.
The co-accused individuals claimed that Jithin Lal managed the money swindled from job aspirants, while Sreejesh conducted online interviews with candidates, posing as a Public Service Commission official. The police stated that all the money obtained through the scam was deposited into Jithin Lal's account, while Rajalakshmi had forged the letters in the name of the Public Service Commission.
A total of 84 job aspirants fell victim to the gang. The fraudsters took amounts ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh from each of the candidates. The fraudsters lured the victims by promising them government jobs, including positions in the Intelligence department.
