BENGALURU: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police have apprehended two individuals for allegedly defrauding around 30 job seekers by falsely promising them positions as Intelligence Special Officers at India’s foreign intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).

The accused, Venugopal (38) from Bidar and Aravind Naidu (36) from Andhra Pradesh, orchestrated the scam with a deceptive recruitment scheme. Venugopal, who met Aravind at a tea stall, posed as an intelligence officer and claimed to be stationed at an R&AW office in Bengaluru. He initially tricked Aravind out of money but later convinced him to collaborate in duping others.

The duo collected ₹5 lakh per candidate, assuring them of high-ranking intelligence roles. To make the scam seem credible, they even issued fake appointment letters and paid ₹10,000 as salary for two months to a few victims, urging them to recruit more job seekers.

The scam unraveled after a victim from JP Nagar, Bengaluru, lodged a complaint. Police raided a lodge in Gandhinagar where Venugopal was staying and seized 86 fake R&AW letterheads, identity cards, six service books, counterfeit appointment orders, and nine official seals.

Investigations are ongoing, and authorities have urged job seekers to verify employment offers through official government channels to avoid falling prey to such frauds.