Fake health officer, driver booked for ₹1 crore ‘job scam’ in Gandhinagar

The Ramol police have booked a man claiming to be a Class I officer in Gujarat government’s Health department and his two alleged accomplices for duping several people of over ₹1.07 crore on the pretext of securing government jobs.

Manojbhai Patel, a 45-year-old factory owner from Odhav, in his complaint states that the prime accused Sajid Ali Khokhar, who posed as a Class I officer at the Gandhinagar Secretariat, allegedly ran the elaborate scam with Maheshbhai Barot, who claimed to be his driver, and Santosh Rao, a school teacher.

Patel stated that he had known Maheshbhai Barot for several years through business dealings. Around April 2024, Barot approached him, claiming he could help secure government jobs for his relatives through ‘Sajid’, a senior Health department officer in Gandhinagar. The accused allegedly demanded ₹10 lakh per candidate for a confirmed government job in the Health department.

Barot and Khokhar allegedly met Patel and his relatives, showing them forged appointment letters, purportedly from the Health and Family Welfare Department, Gandhinagar. The letters bore fake signatures and were even sent through the post to make the process appear genuine.

Trusting them, Patel and his relatives, including his nephew Prince Patel, niece Deep Patel, and other acquaintances, paid large sums in instalments both in cash and through bank transfers.

According to the complaint, Patel and others paid a total of ₹39.75 lakh, ₹15.75 lakh via RTGS and ₹24 lakh in cash to Khokhar and Barot between July and August 2024.

Additionally, others such as Kamini Patel, Hardik Patel, Deepak Patel, and Vikas Patel also paid amounts ranging from ₹7 lakh to ₹11 lakh each for job placements in various departments, including HR Class-III posts and junior clerk positions. In all, the accused allegedly collected over ₹1.07 crore from Patel and his associates.

When no job postings materialised after several months, Patel confronted the accused. Khokhar reportedly issued him three post-dated cheques totalling ₹15 lakh from his State Bank of India account, assuring repayment. However, all three cheques later bounced.

Patel also claimed that Khokhar handed him a signed written undertaking along with his photograph, stating that he would either provide the promised jobs or return the money between November 30 and December 15, 2024. Despite this, no money was returned.

Later, when Patel pressed Barot for repayment, Barot allegedly brought along Santosh Rao, a teacher who had helped Khokhar in creating fake appointment letters and verification forms. Rao allegedly admitted that Khokhar was not a Class I officer but a teacher at Gramin Bharati Vidyalaya in Kheda district.

Rao further revealed that Khokhar had been running similar scams since 2014, collecting money from multiple victims under the guise of arranging government jobs.

Following Patel’s complaint, Ramol police registered an FIR against the trio under Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating, criminal breach of trust, and forgery.

Police said the accused had forged appointment letters with fabricated Health department seals and signatures and mailed them to victims to gain their confidence. The total amount collected from various victims reportedly exceeds ₹1 crore.

A senior police officer said, “The accused used the name of the Health department to gain credibility. We are verifying their records and bank transactions to trace the flow of money. More victims may come forward as the probe expands.”