Three more arrests made in BMC sweeper scam

Following a high-level probe into the BMC sweeper scam on December 6, the Crime Branch Unit 3 arrested three more BMC employees on Saturday, this time from the G South Ward. The three have been identified as supervisor of sweepers Ramesh Rathod (50), Ganesh Jadhav (40), a clerk at the BMC head office in CST, Prasheed Waghmare (33), also a clerk.

On November 7, mid-day reported a long-running scam in the BMC where people faked identities to land jobs as BMC sweepers. Since the probe, the police has arrested 10 individuals from D Ward and learnt that the three recent arrests were of the men behind the recruitment of 18 BMC sweepers in G South.

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An officer from Crime Branch Unit 3, requesting anonymity, said, "Jadhav is the main accused in the case, as all applications came to him from ward offices across the city and he then forwarded them for recruitment." While Jadhav comes across as a mastermind, investigators alleged that Rathod and Waghmare have been involved in the racket for the last five years.

"Rathod and Waghmare alleged that one day, they were sitting outside their ward office having tea and heard about the scam through which people were earning lakhs. So, they decided to walk on the same path," added an officer.

The trio has been booked under relevant sections of the IPC and were produced in the Magistrate Court. They have been remanded in police custody till January 6.