Work is worship, they say. It is the foundation of all prosperity, and the key to success. Leaving aside the cliches however, work is never easy to come by in Goa – the tiny State’s unemployment rate is the highest in the country – ranging between 13 to 15% in 2023, it’s more than three times the national average of 3.17 per cent, according to Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy data. There are many reasons one could attribute this to – the education-employment gap, the lack of diverse industries and limited job opportunities, brain drain, infrastructural challenges, agriculture decline, the lack of entrepreneurship due to red tape and government policies – the list is rather long, but the most shocking and shameful of them all is the corruption in government recruitment that has put jobs for sale on the marketplace, accessible only to those who can bribe their way to an appointment letter. No matter if they are incompetent, no matter if there are more deserving, dedicated candidates for the job- money rules the roost and where there is money, crime tends to follow – birthing a whole new breed of swindlers and scamsters getting rich off the backs of desperate jobseekers.
At the centre of the controversy, fingers are being pointed at the ruling BJP dispensation, which ultimately bears responsibility as the government. While the exact number of jobs illicitly secured remains uncertain, evidence reveals that bribes ranging from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 18 lakh have been paid since as far back as 2016–17 for posts in departments like TCP, Forest, Education, and PWD, among others. Several "smooth-talking queenpins" have been arrested for their roles in the scam. The recent arrest of Shruti Prabhugaonker, whose alleged connections to the ruling party have surfaced, has further fuelled suspicions. Given the gravity of the situation, the BJP cannot distance itself from the scam. A thorough inquiry must be conducted, and those responsible—no matter their rank or position—must be held accountable.
Spokesperson for the BJP, Yatish Naik, does not believe the State government should be held accountable for the rot within its own recruitment system – he calls the jobs-for-cash scam a clear case of deceit, perpetrated solely by conmen, and not those employed by the government.
“Government jobs follow a defined process. Exams are conducted, overseen by junior and senior officers, with institutions like the Goa Public Service Commission (GPSC) and now the Staff Selection Commission, which this government has established, playing key roles. These jobs cannot simply be handed out arbitrarily; a procedure is in place to ensure merit and transparency,” he claims.
“However, the conmen and women implicated in this scam—those named in complaints, facing FIRs, arrests, and property attachments—appear to have operated through a calculated modus operandi. Their method seems to involve preying on innocent Goans by making false promises, luring them into traps, and ultimately defrauding them. The focus, however, should also be on determining whether any jobs were actually secured through these transactions. Were positions awarded or not? This is a question that only a thorough investigation can answer,” he says.
Delving into the psyche of a job-seeker, activist Swapnesh Sherlekar points out, “For someone to hand over such a significant amount of cash to an individual—whether known or unknown—there must be a certain degree of recognition, trust, or validation of that person’s ability to deliver results.”
The complaints typically surface when there is no outcome to the “deal”. However, what about the instances where the money was exchanged, and the promised job was indeed secured? Those who have gotten employment by paying bribes certainly cannot be expected to come out and admit it.
It’s reasonable to assume that there have been successful transactions, where money changed hands and a job was delivered as promised. Based on these success stories, further transactions might have taken place. The cases we are seeing now might represent only those where the "deal" failed to yield results.
“This suggests that the conversion ratio—the percentage of successful transactions—is not zero. If we also account for the cases where money was exchanged and jobs were successfully secured, the scale of this scam could be far greater than currently estimated, easily running into hundreds of crores,” adds Sherlekar.
“The first FIR in the cash-for-jobs scam was registered at the government's initiative. Following this, individuals began coming forward, informing the police that they had been defrauded. Based on these complaints, FIRs have been registered against the accused, regardless of who they are. All those implicated have been subjected to investigation and, where necessary, arrests. As of yesterday, 18 to 20 individuals have been taken into custody, reflecting the seriousness with which authorities are pursuing the matter,” he adds.
Of all the agents and middlemen arrested, Sandeep Parab’s case stands out as the largest in terms of the total amount involved—Rs 3.88 lakh collected from multiple people. Parab, a government servant Junior Engineer in the Water Resources Department, is alleged to have handed over these funds to a non-state actor, Deepashree Sawant, believing she could secure jobs.
According to reports, Parab was not acting alone. He allegedly had sub-agents, such as Tukaram Jalmi, who collected Rs 74 lakh, and Amit Nagvekar, who collected Rs 47 lakh, both funneling these amounts to Parab. While some might argue Parab was merely trying to help job seekers, his role as a government employee makes this a clear violation of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code.
Adv Shailesh Gawas, friend and advisor to Sandeep Parab, says Parab is not a conman- but a victim of the same system he allegedly perpetuated. “Parab paid Rs 3 lakh to Deepashree of the Rs 6 lakh she had quoted, to secure a job for his daughter,” says Gawas. He recounted how Deepashree lured Parab in- she visited his clothes shop frequently and claimed she had “good connections to politicians”, leading him to believe she could help people land government jobs for a fee. “People in Goa are desperate for employment, and this was an offer they could not pass up,” Gawas points out.
The strangest thing about this racket, however, is that it has been under wraps for close to 8 years. How is it that unemployed people - even the most gullible ones – who have shelled out lakhs of rupees either by selling land, pawning jewellery or taking loans to pay these swindlers, have not reported the scam earlier?
“It is no secret in Goa that securing a government job often hinges on either financial transactions or connections with MLAs and other elected representatives. How else do you explain past and present MLAs, their relatives, or even those working in their offices managing to land government jobs – important, high-ranking posts – when we know they are not of that calibre?” questions Sherlekar.
“This phenomenon is not new. Similar allegations were made during the Congress regime, with accusations of job sales and preferential treatment being commonplace. During Manohar Parrikar’s tenure, the BJP frequently criticised Congress for such practices, accusing them of "selling off jobs" and engaging in preferential hiring.
Now, with BJP in power, the narrative has shifted. Yet, the same MLAs who were formerly with Congress have defected to BJP, bringing with them the same malpractices. “The behavioural patterns and settings have not only persisted but appear to have been adopted wholesale,” Sherlekar remarks.
Moving on to Goa police’s investigation into the scam, Sherlekar notes that multiple FIRs have been registered at various police stations across Goa, leading to parallel investigations under different jurisdictions. Despite calls for a unified approach, the government has yet to appoint a common investigation agency to streamline the process.
“The authorities, including prominent figures like Yatish Naik have appealed to victims of the scam to come forward and file complaints. If individuals across Goa heed this call and start registering complaints at their local police stations, the number of FIRs will surge, and investigations will multiply across jurisdictions,” says Sherlekar, pointing out that this fragmented approach risks duplication and could hinder the overall investigation.
In response, Naik points out that some accused in the job scam are facing multiple FIRs lodged across various police stations. Each FIR pertains to a distinct set of facts, as the factual matrix of each case differs.
Explaining the reason for this decentralised approach, Naik says, "The FIRs are registered in multiple police stations because complainants file complaints within the jurisdiction where they reside or where the alleged offence occurred. Each complaint involves a unique set of facts that requires independent investigation."
Sherlekar maintains that this approach may complicate the overall investigation, backing calls for a common investigation agency to unify the process and ensure consistency in handling interconnected complaints.
“The police are handling the cases, but within the police force, there are different branches, and each police station has its own in-charge officer responsible for that jurisdiction. Now, if a particular FIR is registered in the Bicholim police station and a similar one in the Ponda police station—both dealing with cash-for-jobs allegations—the complaints are treated as separate. Each complaint involves separate accused individuals, and the facts and circumstances may vary, making them distinct cases. While the presumption is that the core issue—cash exchanged for government jobs—is the same, each police station will investigate based on its own officer's experience and approach. What is needed, however, is a common investigation agency. This would ensure a more coordinated investigation, rather than having each station handle the matter independently,” says Sherlekar.
“The police are competent. The Chief Minister has also said that every complaint will be registered, investigated and acted on. Each complaint in the job scam has resulted in arrests and the attachment of assets,” insists Naik, adding that even if additional complaints are filed against senior MLAs and government officials, these will all be investigated,” he asserts.
It is no secret that in Goa, every police station is under the control of the local MLA, who virtually appoints the PI. The PI, in turn, is answerable to their political boss. If there is even a hint of doubt that the political boss might be involved as the main handler of the middlemen and other suspects, will they allow the PI to conduct a fair investigation?
Naik answers in the affirmative. “You see, the police cannot just do as they please. The findings must follow the procedural laws and investigative procedures. There are accountability mechanisms, hierarchical supervision, and oversight within the police structure, including the DGP, SP, and IG. Everything is monitored, and beyond that, there are mechanisms like the State Police Complaints Authority and the criminal courts to ensure transparency and accountability,” says Naik.
Naik goes on to add that the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) was established by this government, which was not in place earlier. “Prior to that, there were different procedures within departments and institutions to fill vacancies. Now, with the SSC in place, there is more accountability. This reform is an administrative decision to ensure that jobs are allocated based on merit and accountability,” he says.
Accountability is a crucial issue, but the real question arises when we see amounts like 20 crores circulating in the market—money invested by people who have sold their land, jewelry, or used their hard-earned or possibly ill-gotten funds to secure government jobs for themselves or their relatives. The total amount of money in the market could be much higher, perhaps five times that figure. This raises a significant concern about accountability. The troubling reality is that so many job hopefuls believe the only way to secure a government job is by paying money, which is a direct slap in the face of any democratic government. Goans, whether innocent or not, have been affected by widespread cheating at all levels. At the end of the day, no MLA, no Minister, and no government should be spared when it comes to addressing such massive corruption. This scandal has shamed Goa in the eyes of the nation, and accountability must be ensured across the board.