'Deceiving others is the only way I know to live, that's my skill'; Karthika's audio clip surfaces, alleged mastermind behind large-scale job scam

Karthika Pradeep, the CEO of ‘Take Off Overseas Education Consultancy’, was arrested by the police in connection with a large-scale job scam, where crores were allegedly swindled from young job seekers under the false promise of employment abroad. Now, an audio clip featuring Karthika has surfaced on social media, where she is heard speaking aggressively to a person who called her, demanding his money back. In the recording, Karthika is heard saying, “Deceiving others is the only way I know to live—that’s my talent. It’s not my fault if people like you are willing to be fooled.”

Karthika was taken into custody by the Kochi Central Police based on the complaint filed by a woman from Thrissur. According to the complaint, the woman had paid large sums of money after being promised a job, which she never received. Following the investigation, Kathika was taken into custody from Kozhikode.

The complainant alleged that she paid Rs 5.23 lakh in multiple instalments between August 26 and December 14, 2024, via bank transfers and online payments, after being promised a social worker job in the UK. Besides her, five more individuals from Thrissur and Kozhikode have filed similar complaints, confirmed Kochi Central Station House Officer Aneesh John.

Originally from Pathanamthitta, Karthika had been living in Thrissur. Police stated that she had lured over 100 job seekers by offering jobs in foreign countries such as the UK and Germany. It is said that she had received between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 8 lakh from each individual.

The fraud was exposed when numerous job seekers, who had paid the demanded sums and submitted their documents, reported to the police after failing to secure any promised employment

Apart from Kochi, complaints against the ‘Take Off Overseas Education Consultancy’ have been registered in police stations across Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur, and Kozhikode. Following the registration of cases, Karthika shut down her Kochi office and went into hiding.

Investigations had earlier revealed that the consultancy was operating without a valid license. Reports suggest that Karthika collected nearly Rs 30 lakhs from job seekers in Kochi alone. The police have confirmed that a detailed investigation is currently underway.