Police in Varanasi have arrested a man for allegedly defrauding an ASHA worker of ₹6 lakh by promising to secure her an Assistant Professor appointment at Banaras Hindu University. Chandramani Sharma was taken into custody from his office after investigators pursued a formal complaint involving a forged employment letter. A co-accused, identified as Vinod Gupta, remains at large as authorities continue searching for him.
How the Alleged Scheme Was Set Up
The case surfaced after a complaint from Vinita Gupta, an ASHA worker from Varanasi's Bhelupur area. In 2023, her neighbour Vinod Gupta reportedly told her he could arrange a job at a reputed educational institution. He then escorted her to the office of Malti Finance Solution Limited in the Sonia area, under Sigra police station jurisdiction, where she met Chandramani Sharma.
During that meeting, Sharma reportedly reviewed her educational qualifications and assured her he could arrange an Assistant Professor position at BHU. In exchange for securing the post, he allegedly demanded ₹6 lakh, an amount she says she paid in full across multiple instalments over time, trusting his representations. Sharma later presented her with an appointment letter dated October 31, 2023. But when she approached the university administration with this document, officials confirmed it was entirely fraudulent.
Two Years of Stalling
Upon discovering the forgery, the victim contacted both accused individuals, seeking clarification and demanding her money back. Instead of refunding her, Sharma and Gupta allegedly kept offering reassurances while repeatedly delaying the matter, stringing her along for nearly two years. Her early attempts to register a complaint with local police reportedly went nowhere, prompting her to submit a written complaint directly to the Police Commissioner on June 25, 2026.
When even that formal petition failed to result in an FIR, she turned to the judiciary for relief. After examining her plea, the court directed police to register a case and conduct a thorough investigation. Acting on that judicial order, Sigra police station formally registered an FIR in July 2026 against both Sharma and Gupta, launching an active investigation into the alleged recruitment fraud.
The Arrest and What Comes Next
Following the FIR's registration, police raided Sharma's office on Tuesday and arrested him. Officials say he admitted involvement during custodial interrogation, and he's since been sent to judicial custody as statutory proceedings continue. Meanwhile, dedicated police teams are actively working to trace and apprehend the absconding co-accused, Vinod Gupta.
What Investigators Are Examining
Investigators are going through payment trails, educational records, the forged appointment letter itself, and communications between the parties involved, to establish the full extent of the alleged fraud. Police are also looking into whether other individuals helped fabricate the university documentation, and, notably, whether the accused targeted other job seekers with similar deceptive promises, work aimed at determining whether an organised recruitment fraud network was operating more broadly across the region, rather than this being an isolated case.
FAQs
Q1. How much money did the victim allegedly lose?
₹6 lakh, paid in multiple instalments in exchange for a promised Assistant Professor appointment at BHU that turned out to be fraudulent.
Q2. How was the fraud eventually discovered?
The victim approached BHU's administration with the appointment letter she'd been given, and university officials confirmed it was fake.
Q3. Why did it take nearly two years for an FIR to be registered?
The accused allegedly kept delaying and reassuring the victim after the fraud was discovered, and her early complaints to local police didn't result in action until she petitioned the Police Commissioner directly and later sought judicial intervention.
Q4. Has the co-accused, Vinod Gupta, been arrested?
No. He remains absconding, with police teams actively searching for him.