Two MPSC aspirants held for duping four BJP MLAs

A man and woman in their mid-20s have been arrested for allegedly duping a Bharatiya Janata Party legislator by seeking money claiming a kin was unwell, a Pune police official said on Thursday

A man and woman in their mid-20s have been arrested for allegedly duping a Bharatiya Janata Party legislator by seeking money claiming a kin was unwell, a Pune police official said on Thursday.

A man and woman in their mid-20s have been arrested for allegedly duping a Bharatiya Janata Party legislator by seeking money claiming a kin was unwell. (HT PHOTO)

Mukesh Rathod - who hails from a poor farmer family in Buldhana district, and Sunita Kalyani Kshirsagar - his friend and aide who hails from Aurangabad; were arrested from Aurangabad on Wednesday even as they were preparing for the police sub-inspector (PSI) and other exams conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).

The accused were arrested for allegedly duping four women legislators namely, BJP MLA Madhuri Misal, Devyani Pharande, Shweta Mahale and Meghana Bordikar of ₹3,400 each.

Deputy commissioner of police (zone 5), Namrata Patil, said, “After the complaint was registered, we formed our team and through the telephonic tracing system, we nabbed both the accused from Aurangabad.”

According to Patil, both Rathod and Kshirsagar are well educated but from poor backgrounds and hence, required money to fulfil their daily needs such as mess fees, room rent etc. Rathod has completed his BA in English while Kshirsagar has a BSc, and both have been preparing for various competitive exams since the past two years. Rathod secured good marks in the recently held police exam. The duo became friends at a private coaching class.

Rathod had once interacted with Misal and knew that she helped poor people in case of emergencies. He planned to cheat Misal and three other legislators, thinking that no one would question his integrity if it concerned a small amount. On July 12, Rathod called Misal and told her that his mother had been hospitalised and that he needed financial help. Misal transferred the money via a UPI number registered on Kshirsagar’s name. Thereafter, Rathod called the other three MLAs including Pharande from the Nashik central constituency under Nashik district; Mahale from Chikhali in Buldhana; and Bordikar from the Jintur assembly constituency in Parbhani district and similarly requested financial help by giving the same excuse as he did to Misal.

Currently, investigation is underway to determine whether any other MLA has been defrauded by the duo. Bibwewadi police have registered a case under Indian Penal Code section 420 (cheating) and relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act, and will produce the accused in court.