‘Duped’ men turn kidnappers: Delhi Police rescues job scam accused from Mathura

She complied and a driver, Sarthak – hired from the app – parked the car with Rs 80,000 in cash at the spot chosen by the kidnappers before leaving.

But Ranjan was not released. Instead, more ransom calls followed.

After three days, when Archana and father reached the Burari police station to file a kidnapping and extortion complaint, the police were in for a surprise.

They found that Rajan’s alleged kidnappers were among the very people who had accused him of cheating them of crores of rupees by promising government jobs that never existed.

Start of a scam

According to Mathura Police, Rajan, an MBA graduate, promised government jobs – mostly clerical posts in the Agriculture department – to people from Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Last year, the Mathura Police started looking for him.

Ranjan’s victims allegedly paid between Rs 22 lakh and Rs 60 lakh for a job. One of them was Gajraj (30), from a small-time farmer from a village in Mathura.

“His father had died early. He used to farm on a small patch of land his father had left and earned enough to feed himself and his mother,” said an officer.

In 2023, Gajraj’s neighbour, Shashikant – who worked as clerk in the Uttar Pradesh Education department – introduced him to his friend Ranjan who was “was highly connected”. Gajraj was promised a government job in return of Rs 22 lakh.

Gajraj sold his land and paid the money to Ranjan.

Police said he travelled to Delhi for appear infront of an “interview board”, which allegedly also comprised Archana, and underwent three months of training in Mathura after he was “selected” for the job.

“He was also paid Rs 22,000 as salary for the training period. He told everyone in his village about the job and even threw a party. Many others showed interest,” the officer said.

While a villager, Vinod, paid Rs 40 lakh to Ranjan for jobs for his relatives, retired Armyman Rohan allegedly paid Rs 60 lakh for his sons-in-law. “Gajraj’s brothers-in-law also paid money to Ranjan,” the officer added.

“But after that, Ranjan stopped taking their calls. Soon, Gajraj and others realised that they had been duped. In 2025, they got a case lodged against Ranjan and Archana in Mathura,” said the officer.

From complainants to kidnappers

In February this year, during one of Ranjan’s court appearances, Gajraj, Vinod and Rohan met Balaji.

A former serviceman from Bengaluru, Balaji had allegedly paid money to Ranjan on behalf of his three relatives from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. “They were promised jobs in the Railways,” said the officer.

Police said Balaji introduced them to Sunny Malik, who claimed he could recover their money, as the court procedure would be lengthy.

The group then allegedly planned Rajan’s abduction.

“When Ranjan was leaving Allahabad High Court on July 24, he was abducted. They then drove to Gurgaon before shifting Ranjan to Mathura,” said the officer.

The catch

The investigation turned on a single clue – the DriveU driver, Sarthak, whom Archana had hired to deliver the ransom.

“We booked a driver from the app ourselves… He helped us navigate the app and reach out to customer care to get Sarthak’s number,” said the officer.

Soon, Sarthak was picked up. He told the police that he left the car in Dwarka at the place chosen by the kidnappers and left. A man named Shivam then allegedly arrived and took the car and the cash to Gurgaon.

A team led by Inspector Jaspal, Sub-Inspector Sudheer and Head Constable Pradeep tracked CCTV camera footage and saw the car entering a hotel in Gurgaon. By the time the team reached the hotel, the suspects had fled.

“The team continued to track Ranjan’s phone and reached Mathura,” said DCP (North) Raja Banthia.

In Mathura, the location of Ranjan’s phone showed that he was near Radha Rani society.

During a raid on a paying guest accommodation in a building, police rescued Rajan. Seven men were arrested – Malik, Gajraj, Vinod, Rohan as well as Keshavan, P Arun and Gunasekhar, the three for whom Balaji had paid money to Ranjan.

“Malik fled with the car, Rs 80,000 and another Rs 65,000 allegedly withdrawn using Rajan’s ATM card,” said the officer.

Balaji also accompanied Malik. “We are looking for them,” the officer added.