More than 200 professionals working in technology MNCs, Indian IT services firms and private banks could lose their jobs as the Bengaluru Police have busted a racket of issuing fake work experience certificate in the country's IT capital.

Police said Jimutesh Sharma, who hails from Odisha, is the mastermind who is currently absconding. He has been running the racket for more than two years. The police have arrested one person in this connection and the search is on for his accomplices.

According to police, Sharma operated a fake human resource (HR) agency and targeted working professionals with minimum experience (1-2 years) and placed them in mid-level positions (6-7 year work experience) by issuing them fake work experience from fictitious companies.

"They placed candidates in more than two dozen companies across south India, including Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hyderabad and Chennai by using fake certificates. The magnitude of this scam could be much bigger," a senior officer in the Karnataka police, said.

The bogus HR firm charged anywhere between Rs.15,000 and Rs.25,000 per candidate for an appropriate work experience certificate that fetched them the right job, the police said.

During a raid on Sharma's premises in K.R. Puram, the police recovered hundreds of fake work experience certificates of top firms, more than 100 SIM cards, two laptops, six mobile phones and several two-wheelers.

Police said their modus operandi was simple: identify candidates through job portals. "They would then approach such candidates and promise them jobs with a higher CTC. Depending on their educational background and previous work experience, they would create fake work experience certificates from fictitious companies. More than 200 professionals were placed in jobs in top firms using their services," the police added.

Police said Sharma's luck ran out when he started "diversifying" his business to make more money. He started offering "contract jobs with top MNCs/firms" by claiming that he held the mandate as a staffing firm. He had collected more than Rs11 lakh from potential candidates and issued them appointment letters on behalf of companies.

However, he postponed their joining dates. Three candidates from Mangaluru, who became suspicious after waiting for more than 6 months, approached the police and that's how the racket was busted.