Trainspotting: 25 from T.N. cheated in Railway job scam

Scam victims made to sit on the New Delhi railway station platforms and count the arrivals, departures and coaches of each train as a supposed “training exercise” and precursor to a Railway job

Every day, for two to eight hours, they stood on the bustling platforms of New Delhi railway station and counted the arrivals and departures of trains, and the number of coaches in each train. At least 25 people from Tamil Nadu paid sums ranging from ₹2 lakh to ₹24 lakh for the right to carry out this task, believing that they were part of a “training exercise” that would lead to a coveted job in the Indian Railways.

Little did they know that they were a part of an employment scam, and that the “training” that they were undergoing was just an eyewash. The Delhi police on Tuesday said that the victims were collectively cheated of over ₹2.6 crore.

A case was registered by M. Subbusamy, a 78-year-old ex-serviceman from Tamil Nadu. He had taken several of his neighbours and family members from T.N. to Delhi on the pretext of employment, but realised he was also being cheated and complained to the police.

According to the police, the accused -- Sivaraman, Vikas Rana, Dubey, and Rahul Chaudhary -- enticed the men by promising them employment with the Railways before swindling them to the tune of lakhs of rupees.

Mr. Subbusamy alleged that he had met Mr. Sivaraman in Hyderabad last December, when he had claimed to be closely associated with several MPs and ministers in Delhi and thus could help youth get Railway jobs. The candidates paid the money to Mr. Subbusamy, who further transferred it to Vikas Rana, who posed as a deputy director in the Northern Railway office in Delhi, according to Snethil Kumar, 25, a victim from Madurai.

Most of the victims are graduates with backgrounds in engineering and technical education, he said, but were made to undergo a month-long training. They were contacted over a period of time and told to sit at different platforms of New Delhi Railway Station for two to eight hours.

Another victim was Ram Prasad, 26, a mechanical engineering graduate, who left his IT or Information Technology job in search of better employment.