Ludhiana: Man posing as AAP MLA’s aide booked for duping 2 of ₹1.7 lakh

The Division Number 2 police lodged an FIR against the accused, Nikhil Sabharwal of Ajit Nagar. The fraud dated back to October 2023 when the accused demanded money from the complainant in lieu of a job

A man was booked for allegedly duping two people of ₹1.70 lakh by posing as a close aide of Ludhiana Central AAP MLA Ashok Parashar Pappi. The accused promised the victims—a de-addiction centre employee and his friend—jobs in the municipal corporation. The fraud came to light when the appointment letters provided by the suspect were found to be fake.

The accused claimed on his Facebook account to be the MLA’s constituency office in-charge and had posted several pictures with the MLA. (HT PHOTO)

The Division Number 2 police lodged an FIR against the accused, Nikhil Sabharwal of Ajit Nagar. The fraud dated back to October 2023 when the accused demanded money from the complainant in lieu of a job.

The complainant, Ramandeep Singh, 34, of Islam Ganj stated that the police lodged an FIR against the accused after a two-and-a-half-year pursuit for justice.

The complainant stated that he works at the de-addiction centre of Lord Mahavira Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, on an ad hoc basis. In October 2023, he went to the MLA’s office to seek help in availing a permanent job.

The complainant said the MLA was not present in the office. The accused met him outside the MLA’s office and posed as his personal assistant (PA). He promised to secure a job as a clerk in the municipal corporation.

“I introduced one of my friends, Prabhjot Singh of Jamalpur Awana, who is also an ad hoc worker at the blood bank in the civil hospital, to the accused, who demanded ₹1.10 lakh from each of us for the jobs,” said the complainant.

“I paid ₹49,000 twice to the accused through UPI on October 14, 2023, while my friend only transferred ₹2000 to the accused through UPI. The accused kept making promises and extorted ₹20,000 from him on March 25, 2024, and ₹50,000 on June 22, 2024,” he added.

He said the accused neither secured a job nor returned the money. When he demanded his money back, the accused sent him a letter about their selection in the Municipal Corporation. However, after checking with the MC office, he learned the letter was fake. Later, he filed a complaint with the police.

Pappi said the accused was known to him as he lives nearby. The MLA stated that after discovering the accused was involved in fraud, he himself filed complaints against him.

The accused claimed on his Facebook account to be the MLA’s constituency office in-charge and had posted several pictures with the MLA.

According to the police, an FIR under Section 420 of the IPC has been lodged against the accused. A hunt is on for his arrest.