Bhubaneswar, May 27: The Delhi-based consultancy firm, which allegedly recruited more than 400 students of Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER), a constituent of Siksha 'O' Anusandhan University, had created fake web pages of multi-national companies, police said today.
Preliminary investigation in the case has revealed that the firm had created incorporated mobile numbers and e-mail IDs to answer queries of new recruits on the web pages.
"Around 25 personnel of the firm had interviewed the students and selected them in April. However, varsity authorities failed to show the agreement with the firm and claimed that communications took place through e-mails. We will seek the help of cyber experts," said a police official.
The police today took Raj Kumar Hota, the varsity's additional dean (placement) who was arrested yesterday, on a two-day remand for further probe into the case. "We suspect that the firm cheated students of other institutes in other states in a similar fashion. We have also obtained footages of the placement drive," said a police official.
Police commissioner Y.B. Khurania said he suspected the involvement of several people in the racket. "The investigation is in the preliminary stages and it will take time. It will be a comprehensive investigation and we will probe the placement procedure followed earlier alongside the process followed this year," he said.
More than 400 students received call letters and, subsequently, joining letters in nine companies after going through a rigorous placement drive between November and April. However, when 50 of them reached Gurgaon to report to work on Tuesday, the companies denied conducting any placement drive at the varsity. They also denied issuing any joining letters. Following this, the varsity authorities crosschecked with other companies and found that joining and offer letters issued by nine companies were fake.
The National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the Congress's students' wing demanded a crime branch probe into the incident. Agitating student leaders scuffled with the cops at Sishu Bhavan Square when they tried to break prohibitory orders in a bid to march towards Naveen Nivas.
