THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Police have registered a case against five persons, including a higher official, for allegedly embezzling Rs 10 lakh by conducting a fake interview at the Travancore Titanium office in Thiruvananthapuram. The Cantonment Police registered a case against the group including Legal Manager Sasikumaran Thampi, who was Assistant General Manager at the time of the interview.

The complainant is a native of Kottakkakam. The first accused is Divya Jyothi (Divya Nair) who lives near Palayam Jacob Junction. It was Divya who directly received the money. The other accused are Divya's husband Rajesh, Prem Kumar and Shyam Lal. Sasikumaran Thampi is the fifth accused.

It is alleged that the accused had embezzled Rs 10 lakh in December 2018 by offering a monthly salary of Rs 75,000 for the post of Assistant Chemist. According to the complainant's testimony, 29 people fell victim to fraud. She also said that the accused had embezzled Rs 1.85 crores. The Cantonment police registered the case on October 6.

The complainant approached the police when she did not get the job despite paying the money. The police have found that the fraud has been going on since 2018. Divya Jyothi is the mediator. She used to post vacancies in Titanium in various Facebook groups. Later, she will reply to candidates through the inbox. She will also demand money in the meantime. The fact that the appointment in Titanium has not been handed over to the PSC helped the culprits to carry out the crime. The job seekers gave the money to Divya Jyothi at her house in the presence of her husband. After this, Shyam Lal, with the help of the third accused Prem Kumar, approached the jobseekers. They were taken to Titanium for the interview in Shyam Lal's vehicle. Sasikumaran Thampi conducted the interview there. Even though more people have been scammed, they hesitate to file a complaint in the hope of getting their money back.