It was a typical morning for Anil and Shubham, both eager to find steady work.
Anil, a father of two, had been struggling for months to land a job.
Shubham, fresh out of college, had dreams of stability and a government job, his idea of ‘making it.’ When the call came in, neither hesitated.
“Hello, is this Anil?” a voice crackled through the phone.
“Yes, speaking. Who’s this?” Anil replied, juggling his phone while sipping his tea.
“I’m Mrityunjay Prasad from a government factory in Cossipore,” the voice continued. “We’re conducting a recruitment drive under special quota positions. I’ve got an opportunity for you, Anil. It’s a golden chance, but you’ll have to act fast.”
Anil’s pulse quickened. A government job.
This was what he’d been waiting for. He knew the offer could change everything. But the voice on the other end seemed so certain, so confident.
“I’m in! What do I need to do?” Anil asked, his mind already imagining the future.
“Great! Just a small fee for processing and documentation. ₹16 lakh, and your place is confirmed,” Prasad said, his tone smooth, persuasive.
Anil hesitated for a split second but then thought of his children, their future. The number felt high, but he believed it was just the cost of securing his family’s well-being.
The Documents – Too Good to Question
A few days later, Anil received a set of documents that appeared as legitimate as anything he’d ever seen.
The letterhead looked official, the signatures authentic. It was a thorough job, so well done that even the most seasoned job seeker would second-guess themselves.
“This is it,” Anil said aloud to his wife, Rina, holding up the papers. “I’ve got the job. We’re finally secure.”
Rina smiled, but there was a flicker of doubt in her eyes. “But this amount… ₹16 lakh? Are you sure this is how it’s done?”
Anil nodded, assuring her it was all legitimate. “This is the process. Government jobs don’t come easy. I trust him. It’ll be worth it.”
A few days later, Anil and Shubham, both eager and hopeful, reported to the factory in Cossipore, documents in hand. They were ready to begin their new roles.
But what they found was nothing like they had expected.
The Heart-Stopping Realization
“Excuse me, we’re here for the job positions under the special recruitment drive,” Anil said to the guard at the factory gate.
He handed over his documents, his excitement bubbling over.
The guard glanced at the papers, then looked up at Anil, his expression puzzled. “What job? We’re not hiring anyone right now.”
Anil’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean? This is the factory, isn’t it? I was told I got the job.”
Shubham, standing beside him, felt his stomach drop. “Something’s wrong, Anil. This can’t be happening.”
The two men were escorted to the office, where they were met with more confusion. A quick check with the HR department revealed a crushing truth: no such recruitment was taking place. The documents were fakes.
Anil’s mind raced as the realization sank in. He looked at Shubham, his voice barely above a whisper. “We’ve been scammed. All of this was a lie.”
Searching for Answers
The victims quickly reported the scam to the police, and the investigation began.
The police soon discovered that Mrityunjay Prasad had used an elaborate network to deceive job seekers.
His claims of a special government quota and official paperwork had made the scam nearly foolproof.
But Anil wasn’t ready to give up.
“I have to get this money back,” he said, his voice filled with determination. “How could we have been so gullible?”
Shubham looked at him, equally shaken. “It’s not just about the money. It’s about trust. We trusted him because we were desperate for a better life. And he played us.”
The Bigger Picture – How Did This Happen?
The more the police uncovered, the more they realized how systematic the scam had been.
Mrityunjay Prasad had been operating for months, preying on desperate job seekers.
He wasn’t just selling fake jobs; he was selling hope—hope that many were willing to pay a high price for.
As the investigation continued, others came forward, some of them still too embarrassed to speak.
But the damage had already been done.
A Cautionary Tale for All
Anil, after recovering from the shock, knew that something had to change.
His own story was just one in a sea of similar ones. He shared his experience online, hoping to prevent others from falling into the same trap.
“The lesson here,” Anil told Shubham one evening, it is simple. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
We let our guard down because we were blinded by hope. But now, no one else should go through what we did.”
In the end, the authorities caught up with Prasad, but the stolen money was unlikely to be recovered.
Yet, for Anil and Shubham, the real loss wasn’t just financial—it was the trust they’d placed in a promise, the trust that had ultimately been betrayed.
