Two men were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly cheating several people with false promises of getting them jobs either in the state health department or in private hospitals.

Officers of Sonarpur police station, who made the arrests, said they had received multiple complaints where victims were cheated out of several lakhs of rupees in the name of getting them jobs in the health sector.

“The accused used to sign on blank pages, promising their victims that the money they paid would be refunded if the job could not be arranged. However, once the money was paid, the accused duo would snap all ties with the aspirants and stop taking their calls,” said an officer of Sonarpur police station.

The two were identified as Sourav Dey and Raja Chatterjee. Dey is a resident of Sonarpur, while Chatterjee is a resident of Tollygunge. They have been remanded in police custody.

“We suspect there could be others associated with the racket. According to the complaints we have received so far, the duo used to boast about their high-level connections that they used to get jobs for anyone who approached them in private hospitals and the state health department,” said the officer.

The two would sometimes show fake appointment letters on the letterhead of reputable hospitals to fool their victims, police said.

Police said they were trying to find out who else was involved in the racket.

“There is a formal procedure for recruitment in all agencies and companies. Bribing their way to get a job in a reputed hospital or the state health department may land the victim in the clutches of a cheat. Hence, we always advise people not to fall for such promises,” said a senior cop of the Baruipur police directorate.

Police said they have seized the mobile phones and laptops of the accused and were trying to dig further into the racket.

“We are also trying to find out if more people have been cheated similarly. The gadgets will be sent for forensic examination,” a police officer said.