Bhiwani police bust ‘Special 26’-inspired fake recruitment scam, five arrested

The Bhiwani police have busted a fake recruitment gang by arresting five individuals who allegedly duped unemployed youths by promising them government jobs. Their modus operandi — fake websites, fabricated recruitment exams and bogus appointment letters — bore a striking resemblance to the Bollywood movie ‘Special 26’.

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The police launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from Neeraj, a resident of Jatu Lohari. He alleged that the accused took Rs 7 lakh from him, offering a job in the fictitious ‘Shagun Haryana Health and Family Welfare Council’. His suspicion arose when the appointment letter and ID card provided turned out to be fake. Following his complaint, an FIR was registered on February 24, 2025.

A Cyber Crime team, led by Sub-Inspector Vikas Kumar, cracked the case and arrested the prime accused, Baljeet and Ritu, from Panipat on March 3. Their interrogation led to the arrests of Sanjay Kumar from Hisar (March 4), Balkar from Jind, and Gulshan from Chandigarh (March 7).

During the raid, police seized crucial evidence, including 11 CPUs, 10 LCDs, 3 printers, 2 biometric devices, 13 mobile phones, 8 payment slip books, 22 cheque books, Rs 1,57,000 in cash, with Rs 1,21,000 frozen in a bank account.

The gang operated fraudulent offices in Bhiwani, Jind, and Yamunanagar, using a fake entity called ‘Shagun Gramin Health and Family Welfare Council’. Their website was used to lure unemployed youth across Haryana, charging them hefty sums for bogus recruitment processes.

According to police, the scamsters even conducted fake recruitment exams in Hisar and issued appointment letters, ID cards, and salary slips to nearly 50 fake recruits. These recruits were then sent to rural areas to scam local residents by offering benefits under non-existent government schemes like the Mukhyamantri Vivah Shagun Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Shadi Shagun Yojana.

A police spokesperson confirmed that Baljeet, Sanjay and Ritu have been remanded to judicial custody, while Balkar and Gulshan remain in police custody for further interrogation. The investigation is ongoing, with efforts underway to identify and arrest other members involved in the scam.