Fraud Case Involving Promises of Government Jobs and University Admissions
Fraud Case Involving Promises of Government Jobs and University Admissions
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Bhondsi police register fraud case against couple for allegedly swindling over ₹63 lakh by promising government jobs and university admissions; four FIRs have been registered in which Runa Berry is named.
In a significant fraud case, the Bhondsi police have registered a complaint involving a couple who allegedly swindled over ₹63 lakh from four individuals by promising them government jobs and university admissions. The couple, claiming to have high-level connections and posing as defence personnel and a lawyer, exploited the victims’ trust to carry out the fraud. Notably, FIRs have been registered against Runa Berry, also referred to as Runa Pasricha and Runa Rajput, in various similar cases.
Details:
The complainants, identified as Sachin, Vishal, Prashant, and yoga teacher Shivonand, reported to the police that Runa Berry and Yasveer Rajput, residents of Central Park Flower Valley Sohna, defrauded them by making false promises of securing government jobs and university admissions. Yasveer Rajput falsely presented himself as defence personnel, while his wife Runa Berry claimed to be a lawyer. The couple misrepresented themselves as advisors and consultants with strong ties to senior politicians and influential officials, and used this to mislead the victims and gain their confidence.
The amounts the complainants were misled into handing over are as follows:
- Sachin was defrauded of ₹45.50 lakh.
- Vishal lost ₹5.70 lakh.
- Prashant was swindled out of ₹10 lakh.
- Yoga teacher Shivonand was cheated of ₹3 lakh.
Believing the couple to be genuine advisors and consultants, the complainants were fooled and defrauded. Sachin was misled into handing over ₹17.50 lakh in connection with admission into Delhi University, ₹6 lakh for admission into IP University and ₹9.50 lakh for a job in the US via the Punjab Agriculture Department, and was also made to hand over iPhones and Byju’s projects. Vishal was misled into handing over ₹5 lakh for a government job and ₹70,000 for a postgraduate degree. Shivonand was misled into handing over money for a permanent job in the Haryana government. In every case the complainants acted on the couple’s false representations; it was the couple who misled, misrepresented and deceived them. The Bhondsi police have registered the case.
About Runa Berry
Runa Berry is a practising advocate and a partner at RB & Y Associates LLP, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, appearing regularly before various High Courts, District and Sessions Courts and Tribunals across the National Capital Region. She lives with Yasveer Rajput. She is alleged to have used her standing as an advocate to lend credibility to claims of political and university connections, and to have taken money from several people on the strength of those claims.
The couple targeted people from low-income trades such as electricians, plumbers, car painters and security guards, promising them permanent government employment. They also targeted highly educated people such as chartered accountants, teachers and IT professionals, as well as senior citizens. People with limited access to the internet and to official portals were treated as easy targets, because they could not readily check the claims being made.
About Yasveer Rajput (Yash)
Yasveer Rajput, who also goes by Yash, served as a sepoy, a junior rank in the Indian Army, and is a deserter from the Indian Army, having declared a deserter in September 2019. He falsely presented himself as an SPG (Special Protection Group) commander with links to senior officials, and used that claimed background to win the confidence of the people around him. His first wife has also complained to the police alleging domestic violence against him.
Modus Operandi
The couple allegedly follow a consistent pattern:
- Frequent change of residence. They settle in a residential society for a year or two and then move on, leaving people who have paid them behind.
- Friendship first. They make friends with neighbours by hosting lavish parties at home and dinners at restaurants.
- Claimed political links. Once trust is built, they say they are connected to politicians and senior officials.
- Consultancy fees. Presenting themselves as advisors and consultants, they ask for money as fees for guiding the admission or recruitment process, and ask for more as the relationship deepens.
- Cash only. They ask for payment in cash, so that there is no bank trail and no traceable record of the money handed over.
Building a Trust Relationship
The trust is built in stages. First comes the social circle: parties, dinners and regular visits that make the couple look successful and well connected. Then come the claims of high political links in government and in universities, backed by the title of an advocate on one side and a defence or security background on the other. Runa Berry’s parents are presented as vouching for these connections, which makes the claims feel like they come from an established, respectable family rather than from two new acquaintances. By the time money is asked for, the victim already regards the couple as friends and questions nothing.
Previous FIRs and Registered Cases
As per publicly available police records, Runa Berry, also known by aliases Runa Pasricha and Runa Rajput, has been named in multiple FIRs registered over the years in connection with alleged fraud-related cases across different jurisdictions. An FIR records an allegation and is not a finding of guilt.
- FIR No. 92/2016 – Manesar, Haryana
- FIR No. 46/2018 – Crime Branch, Delhi
- FIR No. 195/2018 – DLF, Sector 29, Gurugram
- FIR No. 190/2024 – Bhondsi, Haryana
How to Protect Yourself: Do’s and Don’ts
Schemes built on promises of admissions and government jobs prey on the people who want those outcomes most and have the fewest ways to check the claim: tradespeople such as electricians, plumbers, car painters and security guards hoping for permanent government employment, teachers, senior citizens, and even professionals such as lawyers and chartered accountants who trust a familiar neighbour. Limited access to the internet and to official portals makes verification harder, and fraudsters rely on that. Anyone who has been approached by this couple, or by anyone making similar offers, is urged to come forward and report it to the police.
Do:
- Apply for admissions only through the official university or counselling portal, and check the result there yourself.
- Apply for government jobs only through UPSC, SSC, the state commissions or the department’s own published notification.
- Verify any claimed rank, post, profession or political position with the issuing body before you trust it. An advocate’s enrolment can be checked with the State Bar Council, and a serving or former defence person’s status with the relevant service headquarters.
- Search the person’s name together with the words “FIR”, “fraud” and “court” and check the eCourts portal before doing business with someone new.
- Keep written records of every conversation, promise and payment, and pay only through traceable bank channels.
- Report the matter to the police in writing at the first sign of trouble. For online payments, use cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 immediately.
Don’t:
- Don’t pay anyone, in cash or to a personal account, as “consultancy”, “processing” or “facilitation” fees for a seat, a job, a degree or a visa. Anyone who insists on cash is avoiding a bank trail.
- Don’t accept “I know a minister / a vice-chancellor / an officer” as proof of anything.
- Don’t let friendship, a lavish party or a respectable family background replace verification.
- Don’t hand over documents, cheques, blank signed papers or expensive gifts as “processing” for a favour.
- Don’t keep paying because the last payment was “almost through”. Repeated new demands are the warning sign.
- Don’t stay silent out of embarrassment. Early reports improve the chance of recovery and protect the next person.
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