Jaipur-based couple booked for cheating Punjab Skill Development Mission of ₹45.04L

Police booked a Jaipur-based couple that ran an educational institute for cheating and misappropriation of ₹45.04 lakh paid by the Punjab Skill Development Mission (PSDM) for vocational training of 352 persons.

Police registered a case against Ajay Sachdeva and his wife Surbhi, directors of Edulight Careers Private Limited, which has its head office in Jaipur.

In the complaint, PSDM project coordinator Amandeep Kaur said the mission, an initiative of the state government, on September 29, 2016 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Edulight Careers Private limited through its Ajay Sachdeva, empanelling it as a project implementation agency.

Under the MoU, Edulight Careers had undertaken to fully achieve the targets as allotted under the work schedule allotted to it. These included quality training certifications, placement of the trained youth and post-placement tracking, besides other responsibilities.

Thereafter, a work order was sanctioned to provide vocational training to 352 candidates in Ropar district. A sum of ₹45.04 lakh was allotted to Edulight Careers on October 26, 2016, and was deposited in its bank by the Punjab Skill Development Mission Society. The complainant alleged that despite vigorous efforts, Edulight Careers did not perform the job.

When an official was sent to deliver a letter to recover the amount paid, Edulight Careers’s premises was allegedly found locked. Acting on complaint, a case under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Sector 17 police station.