Fake job scam busted in Bolangir; several duped in name of co-operative society

A fake co-operative society has allegedly scammed hundreds of unemployed youths in Bolangir town by collecting thousands of rupees under the promise of job placements. The office shut down abruptly, leaving victims in shock and police launching a probe.

According to sources, a major fraud has come to light in Bolangir, where a fake company, operating under the name ‘Odisha State Co-operative Society’, ran a fraudulent recruitment drive. The fraudulent company had opened an office in the city and began collecting money from job aspirants, particularly in various panchayats of the Puintala block of the district.

Allegedly, the scammers were promising jobs under different designations, primarily as the panchayat executive officers (PEOs), and collected hefty sums—allegedly thousands of rupees—from targeted candidates.

Even to the extent, young boys and girls were employed under this sham setup. The victims reported paying between Rs 250 to Rs 300 for opening bank accounts that were said to be required for accessing benefits.

The company claimed these account holders would receive essential grocery items at a 15% to 20% discount, along with other social security benefits. However, within a few months, the promised supplies never arrived. Instead, the office was mysteriously shut down, and all staff and officials disappeared.

After realising they had been duped, several victims approached the Puintala Police Station. As of now, none of the company representatives are responding to phone calls, and the police have officially registered a case and launched a probe to track the culprits.

Authorities have urged the public to remain cautious about such fraudulent job schemes, especially those requiring upfront payments.

“We were working in the Odisha State Co-operative Society. I was a PEO in the company. The organisation owner(s) used to visit different villages and collect money from people on the pretext of opening marts of grocery items,” a victim girl, Nilam Mishra, said to OTV.