Job seeker cheated of ₹3.2 lakh in fake Cognizant placement scam
HYDERABAD: A 25-year-old software job aspirant has alleged that he was cheated of ₹3.2 lakh by a man who posed as a recruiter offering placements in Cognizant, police said.
According to the complaint, Azaruddin, a BTech graduate residing at Swami Ayyappa Society in Madhapur, stated that he had shared his résumé on WhatsApp while searching for a software job. On September 20, 2025, he received a message from a person identifying himself as Sai Kumar Kalluri, who claimed to be arranging placements in Cognizant for Azure Data Engineer and Developer roles.
The complainant said the accused informed him that the selection process involved charges towards registration, training and a security deposit. Believing the offer to be genuine, Azaruddin transferred money through UPI to the ID provided by the accused.
Payments made in phases
In his complaint, Azaruddin stated that Sai Kumar Kalluri initially demanded ₹50,000 as an “initial fee” to schedule an interview and also sought a copy of his Aadhaar card as identity proof. He was later told that additional amounts were required as the interview process had changed and panel members were asking for the remaining charges.
Over a period of time, the complainant said he paid a total of ₹3,20,000 for various purposes to the same UPI account. However, no interview was scheduled and the accused gradually stopped responding to calls and messages.
No refund despite assurances
Azaruddin said that after waiting for nearly three months without any interview call, he realised that the job offer was fake. When he sought a refund, the accused allegedly promised to return the entire amount and asked him to send a formal WhatsApp message withdrawing from the interview process.
“No amount has been refunded till now,” the complainant stated, adding that he later learnt that the accused was a cheat who had taken money on the pretext of providing a job.
Police said a complaint was received on January 31, 2026, at around 15.30 IST, seeking legal action against the accused and recovery of the cheated amount.
