On a frosty December morning last year, Gautam Prasad (35), a security guard posted at the Civic Centre in Ajmeri Gate, home to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) headquarters, was manning the main gate when a stranger struck up a conversation.According to police, Prasad had long been unhappy with his job and was looking for better opportunities.“I met a man who introduced himself as Naveen Prakash that day in the building. He was passing through the security check when he asked if I wanted another job,” Gautam said in his complaint to the police.“Prakash told me he worked in the Income Tax Department as a Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) employee and offered to help me get the same job,” he told the police.For Gautam, the offer was hard to ignore. An MTS post is a Group C government job with a take-home salary of around Rs 44,000 a month.Over the next four months, Gautam would quit his job, break his provident fund (PF) — and lose Rs 2 lakh without no offer in hand.In May, he filed a complaint with the police after realising he had been cheated.Police said he had fallen prey to a recruitment scam in which unemployed job seekers were lured with promises of government jobs in the Income Tax Department, made to attend fake interviews inside Delhi’s Civic Centre — where the department had an office — and persuaded to part with lakhs of rupees.Story continues below this adPolice said at least six to seven people were cheated of around Rs 10 lakh before the racket was uncovered. Four men have been arrested in connection with the case.The conAccording to police, Gautam, in his complaint, said Prakash gave him the contact of a man and asked him to follow his instructions.Gautam claimed he was then asked to transfer Rs 2 lakh in five different transactions to secure the job.Police said he was later called for what he believed was an interview inside the Civic Centre, where two men, identified as Rohit Chauhan and Pawan Dutt Sharma, introduced themselves as MTS employees.“They told me I will get the offer in January 2026. Then they said in March. After that, they stopped picking my calls,” Gautam said in his police complaint.Story continues below this adPolice began investigating the case and zeroed in on Rohit, who, they said, turned out to be a placement agent.“Sustained surveillance led to the arrest of Rohit from Rohini on July 3. His questioning allegedly revealed a larger network involving freelance placement agents and former employees of the Income Tax Department,” said DCP (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh.Police later arrested Pawan, Chirag Aggarwal, and Tarun Goswami.Police said Rohit has a degree in Hotel Management. Pawan and Chirag used to work in the Income Tax department as MTS employees while Tarun was a placement agent and property dealer, they said.Also Read | Identity theft and fake invoices: The anatomy of Delhi’s Rs 130 crore GST racketThe modus operandiAccording to police, the accused targeted unemployed youth through social media advertisements claiming vacancies in the Income Tax Department.Victims were allegedly called for fake interviews and orientation sessions inside the Civic Centre complex, where the department has offices, to make it appear genuine, said officers.Story continues below this adPolice said one of the accused, Chirag — known to victims as Prakash — was familiar with the premises and allegedly escorted candidates through offices and parking areas to convince them that the recruitment process was authentic.“Tarun and another associate initially contacted the victims and posed as representatives of the Home Ministry. After gaining their confidence, they referred the victims to Rohit,” said DCP Singh.Also Read | Income Tax Dept acts against 62 restaurants in 46 cities, suppression of sales under scannerPolice said fake service books and verification forms were prepared, while victims were repeatedly told that their identity cards and appointment letters were under process. No official appointment documents were ever issued.“The cheated amount was shared among the gang members. During investigation, it surfaced that approximately 6-7 victims had been cheated and the total cheated amount is around Rs 10 lakh,” said DCP Rohit.During searches, police recovered four mobile phones, fake verification forms and identity documents belonging to victims.Police said they also suspect the role of Income Tax employees in the racket and that further probe in the case is underway to ascertain if more people were cheated.