Gandhinagar court denies bail to fake Class I officer in secretariat job scam

A sessions court in Gandhinagar has rejected the bail application of Sajid Ali Gulmarsul Khokhar, the main accused in a scam in which more than ₹1.06 crore was allegedly extorted by falsely posing as a Class I officer in the health department of the Gandhinagar Secretariat.

Additional Sessions Judge P B Patel, while refusing bail, observed that the accused had played an active and central role in the offence and there was strong documentary evidence against him. The court held that Khokhar was not entitled to bail under the circumstances of the case.

According to the prosecution, Khokhar, along with other co-accused, collected over ₹1.06 crore from the complainant and several others by claiming that he was a senior Class I officer in a government department and promising to secure government jobs for unemployed youths. However, none of the promised jobs materialised.

The court noted that the accused had allegedly issued fake appointment letters to the victims by preparing forged and bogus documents, further strengthening the case against him. In view of his alleged involvement and the gravity of the offence, his bail was rejected.

Opposing the bail plea, Public Prosecutor Sudhir B Brahmabhatt submitted that after the filing of the chargesheet, sufficient evidence had emerged to establish the role of Khokhar in cheating job seekers of large sums of money. He told the court that the accused, along with his associates, gained the confidence of victims by projecting Khokhar as a senior official in the Gandhinagar Secretariat who could arrange government jobs for a payment of ₹10 lakh per candidate.

The prosecutor further said that a co-accused, Mahesh Barot, introduced Khokhar to the complainant and others as a high-ranking officer capable of providing government employment. Lured by the promise of secure jobs, several families paid large amounts of money for what they believed would ensure their children’s future.

Victims were allegedly assured that the recruitment process would be completed within 90 days. Subsequently, fake appointment letters bearing forged Gujarat government seals were sent to the candidates by post. 

The accused then allegedly took the candidates to the Gandhinagar Secretariat on the pretext of document verification in order to reinforce their trust, the prosecution said.