Kota (Rajasthan), March 11 The Kota City Police has arrested an alleged mastermind of a massive inter-state employment racket, accused of cheating over 8,500 people.
The accused, who allegedly collected around Rs 2 crore by promising work-from-home opportunities, was apprehended in Bihar following an investigation and technical surveillance.
Identified as Kumar Sanu, alias Deepak Singh, a resident of Khagaria district in Bihar, the accused was produced before a local court here on Tuesday evening. The court granted 10 days of police remand for further interrogation.
Kota City Superintendent of Police Tejaswini Gautam said the investigation began following a complaint lodged on November 15, 2025, at the Anantpura Police Station by Kuldeep Sharma and several other victims. The complainants alleged that Singh operated a firm named 'Oasis Enterprises' which lured people with promises of home-based employment.
Police said the accused targeted unemployed youths and women through newspaper advertisements. He allegedly charged applicants a "security amount" of Rs 2,500 for tasks such as preparing book kits. To expand the scheme, Singh employed a chain marketing model, offering a Rs 500 commission for every new recruit.
Within a few months, he allegedly collected nearly Rs 2 crore from thousands of victims before closing his office in Subhash Nagar, Kota, and fleeing the city.
Considering the scale of the fraud, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed under the supervision of Additional Superintendent of Police Dilip Saini. The team included Circle Officer Manish Sharma and Anantpura SHO Ramesh Kaviya.
The accused had evaded capture for some time by using multiple identities and forged Aadhaar cards. The Inspector General of Police, Kota Range, had also announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to his arrest.
Constable Farsaram played a key role in the breakthrough by analysing digital footprints and technical data to establish the suspect's true identity. Further technical analysis indicated that the accused had carried out similar frauds in other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
A police team led by Inspector Ramesh Kaviya tracked Singh to Bihar. After an extensive search operation spanning from Patna to Bhagalpur, the team located him at a hotel in Naugachia, Bhagalpur district, where he was hiding with his wife. Following a raid, Singh was arrested while his wife was allowed to leave with family members.
During the arrest, police recovered Rs 1,88,500 in cash, a car and several forged Aadhaar and e-Shram cards. Interrogations revealed that Sanu had allegedly operated similar scams in Bihar's Darbhanga, Jharkhand's Ranchi, Chhattisgarh's Durg, Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, Rajasthan's Bikaner and Madhya Pradesh's Indore.
In these places, he allegedly cheated people by offering jobs such as pearl necklace making and sweater knitting, collecting large sums as deposits.
"The accused was produced before court on Tuesday evening and has been remanded to 10 days of police custody," Circle Inspector Ramesh Kavia told