Ajay Kolla Image Credit: Supplied

The police seized the computers of the company even as 10 special teams comprising cyber experts and investigative officers have been set up to probe the allegations of cheating and fraud against the company, which has 30 million registered users worldwide.

Cyberabad police commissioner Vishwanath Channappa Sajjannar told Gulf News on Wednesday that police teams have seized the records of the company and already questioned several employees of Wisdom Jobs, including Chief Executive Officer Ajay Kolla.

“This is not a normal crime investigation. It involves analysing a plethora of data. Our sleuths are going through the company’s computers and servers. We are taking this matter very seriously,” Sajjanar said.

This is not a normal crime investigation. It involves analysing a plethora of data. Our sleuths are going through the company’s computers and servers. We are taking this matter very seriously - Cyberabad police commissioner Vishwanath Channappa Sajjannar

On January 20, a Gulf News report revealed how Wisdom Jobs has been running a well-knit global recruitment racket from its headquarters in Hyderabad’s Cyber Towers.

The investigations found that the company rakes in millions of dollars annually by duping thousands of people globally by offering them non-existent jobs.

Sajjanar said they are looking into allegations that the company has been cheating people by offering them non-existing jobs and that its agents impersonate the HR managers of big companies.

“We are also verifying Wisdom Jobs’ claim that they have tie-ups with several international companies. We are contacting the officials of those companies to ascertain if they had indeed had assigned any such responsibility to the portal,” added the officer.

Under police scanner

Sajjanar said that while the Gulf News exposé has brought the matter into focus, Wisdom Jobs had been under their scanner for some time.

Srinivas Kumar, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Cyber Crime said they are looking into the evidence provided by Gulf News and have already reached out to several victims.

“Some have been contacted via phone and others through email. We have written to victims to get in touch with us. Meanwhile, ten different police teams are going through the records and data of the company with a tooth comb,” said Kumar.

Asked if the statements of victims based outside India will also be recorded, Kumar said that while it will be difficult to produce them before the court in India, the option of recording their testinomies via video was always open”, he said.

Gathering evidence

“As of now, Kolla has pleaded innocent. We are gathering evidence against him and that will form the basis of further questioning.”

In recent days, victims shared with Gulf News chilling accounts of how telesales agents at Wisdom Jobs impersonated HR managers of reputed companies and tricked them into paying huge amounts of money towards bogus fees and charges. Many job aspirants lost up to Dh7,500 each.

Neither Wisdom Jobs CEO Ajay Kolla nor any of his staff could be contacted by Gulf News despite repeated efforts.

Our Hyderabad correspondent tried visiting Wisdom Jobs office at the Cyber Towers in Hitec City but wasn’t allowed in. When contacted over phone, Srikant, a member of Wisdom Jobs’s support team, promised to get back and arrange an interview with Ajay Kolla.