Two men who successfully secured jobs at a multinational IT company by using fraudulent professional credentials are now behind bars.
Mahesh Babu Podapati and Khoncha Khaja Reddy may not have known each other, but each decided to secure a job with Mphasis, the multinational IT service management firm headquartered in Bengaluru.
The ploys used by both men appeared to be unconnected. Reddy, with the aid of a third individual, Somala Mallaiah, who ran an online training institute called Cloud Pundit, concocted an intricate paper trail of fake experience certificates, a fake relieving letter from an industrial consultancy, fake payslips, fake educational documents and even a fake job offer letter.
Podapati’s ploy was even more audacious. He became acquainted with an individual named Ravi Kishan on Facebook. Both men agreed on a scheme whereby Kishan would surreptitiously appear for all Mphasis tests and interviews on Podapati’s behalf.
Their ploy was discovered when Mphasis began the process of verifying the documents. The company promptly fired both men and filed a complaint with police claiming that their actions had caused the company to incur losses.
In an FIR filed by Velayudhan P, a regional security manager with Mphasis, the company said that Podapathi had given Kishan money to appear in his place at these interviews and tests.
“The individuals were both young and had been hired as developers. While it is unsure if they knew each other, it appears as though they might have been referred by the same hiring agency,” a company spokesperson said, adding that Mphasis would not be able to say anything more as the investigation was ongoing.
Acting on the FIR, the jurisdictional Mahadevapura police said they arrested three individuals on Tuesday.
“Ravi Kishan is still at large, but we expect to have him in custody soon,” a police officer said, adding the three arrested have been remanded in judicial custody.
A case has been registered against the suspects under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code.