Rajkot Man Booked for Allegedly Cheating 5 People of ₹16 Lakh in Fake IAF Job Scam
Rajkot police have registered a cheating case against a man accused of posing as an Indian Air Force official and duping his childhood friend and four others of ₹16 lakh by promising them jobs. The complaint, filed with Gandhigram-2 (University) police, says the accused reconnected with the main victim after nearly 20 years, built trust on the basis of old ties and then collected money over about two months for a job that never existed.
The complainant, Arjunsingh Jadeja, 40, who lives on Kalawad Road and runs a business called Shiv Travels, said he received a call on June 8 from Pragnesh Gadhvi, a childhood friend with whom he had not been in contact for at least two decades. According to the FIR, Gadhvi claimed he was working as a principal in the Air Force at Gandhinagar and said he could arrange a driver’s job for Jadeja in return for money.
Believing the offer, Jadeja began arranging funds not only for himself but also for relatives and acquaintances who were also looking for jobs. Police said that over the next two months, ₹16 lakh was handed over to the accused, including ₹12.30 lakh through online transfers and ₹3.70 lakh in cash. Of that amount, contributions also came from four of Jadeja’s acquaintances, taking the total number of alleged victims to five.
To make the arrangement appear genuine, Gadhvi allegedly sent Jadeja a fake electronic call letter on WhatsApp. When the promised jobs did not materialise and Jadeja started demanding a refund, the accused reportedly began giving excuses. Jadeja later came to know that Gadhvi had been detained by police in Ahmedabad in connection with another financial dispute. After realising that Gadhvi had no real link with the Indian Air Force and that the call letter was forged, he approached police.
Police have booked Pragnesh Gadhvi for cheating, cheating by personation, forgery and personating a public servant. Investigators are now tracing the money trail and checking whether more people may have been cheated in a similar manner.
How the alleged fraud worked
The case follows a familiar pattern seen in recruitment-related scams: the accused allegedly used a personal relationship to win confidence, claimed access to an influential position and then supported the story with a forged official-looking document. In this case, the appeal was strengthened by the fact that the two men had known each other since childhood but had lost touch for many years.
By offering a specific post — a driver’s job — and presenting himself as someone inside the Air Force establishment in Gandhinagar, Gadhvi allegedly created the impression that he could bypass normal recruitment channels. The WhatsApp call letter was apparently meant to give the claim a veneer of authenticity and keep the complainant convinced that the appointment was being processed.
The alleged scam also widened when Jadeja collected money from relatives and acquaintances who were similarly interested in jobs. Police said this brought the number of people affected to five and increased the total amount allegedly taken to ₹16 lakh.
Recurring pattern in defence job scams
Cases involving fake promises of jobs in the armed forces continue to surface in different parts of the country. Such frauds often target unemployed youth and their families, who may be drawn to the prestige, security and benefits associated with defence employment. Scammers frequently claim to have connections with recruitment boards, senior officers or selection authorities, and then demand money for “arrangements”, “processing” or “confirmation” of posts.
Official recruitment into the Indian Air Force is carried out only through notified channels, including the Air Force’s official websites, UPSC examinations such as NDA and CDS, AFCAT, Agniveer Vayu intake and subsequent authorised selection procedures such as SSB interviews where applicable. There is no legitimate system under which a private individual can secure an Air Force job in exchange for payment.
Police and defence authorities have repeatedly warned the public against such claims, especially when they are accompanied by WhatsApp messages, forged letters, appointment orders or demands for advance payment. In many such cases, the documents are fabricated to convince victims that the process is official and that the money is merely part of a routine recruitment procedure.
The Rajkot complaint adds to that list, showing how old friendships and the appeal of a government or defence job can be exploited together. With the investigation continuing, police are expected to examine the complete flow of transactions and determine whether others were drawn into the alleged racket.
