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The Cyber Crime Wing (West Zone) of the Chennai City Police on Thursday arrested a man for cheating several people, including a yoga instructor, of several lakhs of rupees by promising them government jobs.
Police said B. Rathinakumari, 48, of C.T.H. Road in Villivakkam, filed a complaint on October 17. She said she had a Ph.D. in yoga and was conducting yoga classes.
In December 2024, she came across an advertisement posted on Facebook by one “Dr. Surenther,” claiming to offer a one-year certificate course in nutrition. When she contacted the number listed, the person introduced himself as a nutritionist working at a government hospital in Virudhunagar district, and asked her to pay ₹10,000 as a course fee.
After completing the course, when she asked for a certificate, he told her he could not issue it officially. He then said there were vacancies for yoga instructor posts, with a high salary on a three-year contract, at Nehru Stadium. Claiming he was authorised to fill the vacancies, he demanded money. She transferred ₹3.51 lakh as a processing fee, but no job materialised.
Based on her complaint, a case was registered.
Following an investigation, the accused — J. Surenther, 30, of Shanmugapuram in Thoothukudi district — was arrested near his residence.
During interrogation, Surenther revealed that he was pursuing a Ph.D. in Nutrition and Dietetics online from a college in Hyderabad. Unable to find a job in Thoothukudi, he worked as a nutrition counsellor at private hospitals and gyms in Chennai. In 2018, he began cheating people by claiming that he worked at the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital, and could secure government jobs for a fee. He admitted to cheating a few others.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he volunteered as a nutrition counsellor at the Virudhunagar Government Hospital, misleading his family into believing that he had secured a government job. Later, he started operating under the fake identity, Dr. J. Surenther, launching a Beautician and Diet Counselling Centre and Academy. He also created a YouTube channel named “Dr. Surenther JV”, where he posted nutrition-related videos and offered online diploma courses in Nutrition and Dietetics.
Published – November 01, 2025 12:36 am IST
