NEW DELHI: (Oct 18) It was a meticulously staged deception as government job aspirants went through what they thought were written tests, a medical examination, police verification and even a three-month "training" after their "appointment", not realising that they had been duped by people who posed as relatives of a senior RSS leader and a former Vice President.

    The CBI has now registered an FIR against five people for allegedly defrauding villagers in Haryana of Rs 2.41 crore following a complaint from a Panipat resident alleging that the syndicate collected money from several job aspirants under the guise of securing government employment.

The CBI "prima facie substantiated" allegations in the complaint and registered the FIR.

The Panipat resident alleged that Krishan of Bhiwani district, in collusion with brothers Kapil and Sunil of Hansi district, Rajinder Bairagi and Harpal Punia, collected money from villagers in the name of securing government jobs for them, they said.

The fraud began in August 2023, when Bairagi, who ran an office from a temple compound, introduced Krishan as his cousin to the complainant.

Krishan claimed his elder brother was a senior RSS leader in northern India and said the family's political connections gave them sway over universities, courts, the state legislature and the Food Corporation of India, the complaint now part of the FIR alleged.