Chennai: ‘Court’ job racket busted; five held

CHENNAI: A monthly ‘salary’ of 22,100 for a ‘court job’. This was the bait a five-member gang including two lawyers used to lure and cheat more than 90 people of nearly 5.5 crore.
The fraud involved ‘interviews’ on the verandahs of city civil courts and issue of ‘appointment orders’ to the victims, each of who paid 6 lakh for the job of magisterial staff.They were even paid the promised wages every month for the past six months.
Police busted the racket and arrested on Monday and Tuesday N Nagendra Kumar, 37, an advocate from Tirupur, C Surulikumar of Allinagaram in Theni, V Manichamy alias Mani of Alli Nagar in Theni, A Kumar of Moolapalayam in Erode and B Sasikala, 32, of Andipatti in Theni.
A police team seized fake documents, seals of the Madras high court, the state government and deputy director in the advocate general’s office, fake appointment orders along with candidates mark sheets and transfer certificates from the arrested.
After a case was registered based on a complaint from CB-CID deputy director Dharaneeswaran to director general of police C Sylendra Babu, investigation showed the accused forged the signature of then registrar general C Kumarappan and the seals of the Chief Justice and Advocate General.
An investigation officer said the accused invited the candidates to assemble near a civil court on the Madras high court campus after 5pm, when the premises were nearly empty.
One victim told police the ‘interview’ was properly conducted, their certificates thoroughly verified and ‘appointment orders’ displaying a salary of 22,100 handed over. Another said they had been receiving the salary continuously for about six months. Later, a few called the given number to ask why they weren’t been asked to come for the physical job, while others went to the court concerned with their appointment orders only to find they had been cheated.
Police who found that the arrested had paid a commission of 2 lakh to agents for bringing the potential candidates to them expect more complaints to be made. All the arrested have been remanded in judicial custody.