Courting trouble: 4 job aspirants promised high court posts, cheated of Rs 48 lakh

Bengaluru: A group of seven people allegedly cheated four aspirants of Rs 48 lakh by promising them jobs at Karnataka high court and subordinate courts in a three-year recruitment racket complete with staged interviews with a ‘judge' and appointment letters issued with the high court emblem.Jayasimha, 39, from Rajarajeshwarinagar, was one of the victims. He quit his job with a private firm in Malaysia and returned to India in April 2023 in search of a job. Having lost Rs 14 lakh to this fraud, he lodged a complaint with Basaveshwaranagar police on Feb 20. Other complainants are Yogesh DR, Bharath Kumar and Gurukiran D.
The accused named in the complaint — Sudarshan Adyantaya, Arjun Adyantaya, Anitha Adyantaya, Lavin Jannet Monterio, Jaisan Desoza, Mahendra S Kanchan and Rakesh S Kanchan — are absconding, according to police. The scam was pulled off between 2023 and 2025.On a recommendation from a family friend, Jayasimha and others were taken to Sudarshan's residence in Basaveshwaranagar. Sudarshan, son Arjun and other family members allegedly assured the four aspirants that instead of pursuing private jobs, they could help them obtain permanent govt positions in the high court based on their qualifications.After looking at a list of vacancies, Jayasimha said he opted for the post of second-division assistant. The accused directed the aspirants to visit an office, Aashirvad Enterprises, in Sahakara Nagar the next day. At the office, Lavin, Jaisan, Mahendra and Rakesh were allegedly managing the process. The victims claimed they were shown documents bearing letterheads of the HC, district courts, civil courts and taluk courts in Karnataka.Sudarshan allegedly instructed candidates to pay the agreed amount in equal instalments in cheque and cash. After aspirants signed the applications, they were not given copies, citing confidentiality linked to court procedures.In May 2023, the victims were allegedly called to a hotel in HMT Layout, where an elderly man was introduced as a judge. More than 60 aspirants were summoned and allowed to meet the ‘judge' in batches. The aspirants were shown ‘appointment orders along with salary details'. They were told that formal letters would be sent by post and that they should report for duty within 15 days.Jayasimha allegedly paid Rs 14 lakh, as did three others. However, a year passed and no official appointment letters were delivered. Eight months ago, when the victims confronted the accused, they were allegedly issued post-dated cheques as refunds. As the cheque dates approached, the accused reportedly asked the victims not to deposit them, promising to return the money in cash. The money has not been returned until now.Police have registered a case of cheating and launched efforts to trace them.