Thane: 2 booked for defrauding 4 of Rs 39 lakh with fake job promise

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Police have filed a FIR against two people in Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly scamming four people of more than Rs 39 lakh by promising them jobs in the state secretariat, according to an official on Sunday.

According to a Kolsewadi police officer, one of the victims, a physically challenged woman who owns a photocopy and typing store in Kalyan town, said that one of the accused routinely visited her shop and offered to assist her get a position in the Mantralaya (secretariat), reported PTI.

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According to the PTI report, since August 2021, the man and his accomplice have allegedly collected Rs 39,71,800 from her and three others with the promise of secretariat posts. When the victims were questioned about their job status, the defendants provided evasive responses. When the victims sought their money back, the defendants wrote cheques, which bounced, according to the official.

Based on the woman's complaint, Kolsewadi police filed a case against the two accused on Friday under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (common intention). The investigation is underway, the report added.

In another incident, police have filed a case against a local thug and three of his cronies for allegedly threatening and attempting to extort money from a 25-year-old businessman in Thane district, an official said on Sunday. The thug approached the businessman, who works in fabrication, at his workplace in the Kalwa region, demanding Rs 50,000 per month as "protection money," according to a Kalwa police officer.

Another PTI report cited that the FIR said the accused stated he had recently been released from jail for a criminal matter and was well-known even among children in the Kalwa neighbourhood to intimidate the victims.

On June 27, the accused and his colleagues approached the victim again at a political party headquarters in Kalwa, repeating their demands and threatening him with terrible consequences if he did not comply.

The victim reported the incident to police, who filed a FIR against the four people on Friday under Indian Penal Code sections 385 (putting a person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion), 387 (putting a person in fear of death or grievous harm in order to commit extortion), and 34 (acts done by several people in furtherance of a common intention).

The police have opened an investigation into the case.