3 booked for duping sweeper of ₹10L over civic job for son
The police said the man, Rajesh Purabia, worked as a sweeper for 12 months in 2016-17 at the Almeida Park BMC chowki in Bandra West, but wasn’t paid for it
MUMBAI: The Mahim police have registered a case against three people for cheating a 60-year-old sweeper out of ₹10 lakh by promising her 32-year-old son a job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) solid waste management department. The police said the man, Rajesh Purabia, worked as a sweeper for 12 months in 2016-17 at the Almeida Park BMC chowki in Bandra West, but wasn’t paid for it.
Nearly seven years after the alleged crime, the woman, Dai Mohan Purabia, finally filed a police complaint on Tuesday after receiving help from several people, including social worker Mangesh Sonawane.
The police then registered a case against three individuals based on the complaint: Jeetendra Solanki, Manoj Jadhav and Suresh Makhwana. The police suspect the three are BMC employees and are investigating the case.
According to the police, one of Dai Purabia’s relatives, Veerji Rathod, told her that her son could get a BMC job through some civic officers he knew after paying ₹10 lakh. He then introduced her to Jeetendra Solanki, who in turn introduced her to Suresh Makhwana and Manoj Jadhav, said an officer from Mahim police station.
Dai Purabia paid ₹10 lakh to the accused after mortgaging gold ornaments belonging to her daughter and her mother-in-law, and borrowing money from other relatives. In November 2016, the accused gave Rajesh Purabia an appointment letter and identity card, and asked him to start going to work at the BMC’s Almeida Park chowki.
After Rajesh started working, the accused allegedly started telling him that his salary was getting stuck due to technical difficulties, but he should keep working and would get the money in one go. Eventually, after 12 months of not getting paid, Rajesh stopped going to work in late 2017.
In early 2018, Dai Purabia visited the BMC office and discovered that her son’s name wasn’t on the payroll. That’s when she realised they had been cheated.
“We suspect some [of the people involved] are BMC workers, who have cheated her via a well-hatched conspiracy,” said the police officer. “We have registered an offence under sections 34 (common intention), 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code.”