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Two booked for duping youths of ₹22.5 lakh on pretext of jobs in Army
The accused have been identified as Santosh Shankar Thakur, 40, a resident of Bhagyoday Residency, Ravet, and Bajirao Sakharam Patil, 45, who lives in Capital City, Nighoje.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad police have registered a case against two individuals accused of duping four youths for ₹22.5 lakh by falsely promising them jobs in the Indian Army.
The incidents took place at Triveni Nagar in Talwade between February 2019 and September 2022, and the case was filed on Monday.
The accused have been identified as Santosh Shankar Thakur, 40, a resident of Bhagyoday Residency, Ravet, and Bajirao Sakharam Patil, 45, who lives in Capital City, Nighoje.
According to police, Thakur posed as a senior officer, while Patil lured several aspirants claiming to have strong connections within the Army recruitment system. Thakur allegedly promised direct entry into the force in exchange for hefty payments.
According to the police, the complainant, Dattatraya Kokate, 65, a retired employee of a multinational automobile company, along with his friend Mohan Shinde, came in contact with Patil, who introduced them to Thakur.
During subsequent meetings, Thakur learned that Kokate’s daughter-in-law, her brother Amol, Kokate’s nephew Rohit, and Shinde’s son Vishal were all seeking jobs. He allegedly assured them that he could secure Army jobs for them using his “contacts.”
Kokate and Shinde eventually paid ₹17 lakh and ₹5.5 lakh, respectively, in cash to Patil. In 2022, the accused handed over fake interview letters to the victims.
The fraud came to light when no recruitment process was followed, and the accused began avoiding the victims’ calls.
“Thakur gave them forged call and interview letters. The victims realised they had been duped and filed a complaint,” said Navnath Mote, assistant police inspector of Chikhali police station.
Mote added that more victims may come forward as the investigation progresses. Police also suspect a wider network is involved in the racket.
The accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 419, 420, 406, 465, 467, 468, and 34.
No arrests have been made yet, said police.
