In Mumbai: 4 held for selling fake certificates for Merchant Navy job

They used to make fake Continuous Discharge Certificates (CDCs) and sell them to job seekers. CDS certifies that the person holding it is a seaman

Four people were arrested for selling fake certificates for jobs in Merchant Navy.

Thane police displays the fake CDCs they recovered from the accused. (Praful Gangurde)

They have cheated more than 500 people.

They used to make fake Continuous Discharge Certificates (CDCs) and sell them to job seekers. CDS certifies that the person holding it is a seaman.

Abdulla Hakim, 42, a Dombivli resident, Vijay Pille, 55, from Wagle Estate, and Alim Moosa, 60, from Malad were arrested on Wednesday.

After interrogation, the main accused Dinesh Raundhal, 29, a Karjat resident, was arrested on Thursday.

Raundhal has been running the racket for the past eight years.

“The accused are in police custody till Saturday. They used to lure job seekers and used to charge them between Rs50,000 and Rs1 lakh. The accused have links with other people in an around Thane,” said Thane police commissioner ParamBir Singh.

Pille, Moosa and Hakim knew each other and got it touch with Raundhal through a common friend. “They used to get data of those applying for jobs aboard from agents who got commission. They used to call them and lure them with jobs in Merchant Navy,” said deputy commissioner of police Abhishek Trimukhe, Thane crime branch.

Trimukhe added, “Raundhal has a diploma in DTP (Data processing) and also in printing. He used to make fake CDC and give job seekers a date to join work. Later, he would keep postponing.”

The police have recovered rubber stamps, 30 CDCs and documents of 36 people.