Navi Mumbai Crime News: Panvel City Police Arrest Conman In CBD Belapur For Cheating Youths With Fake Indian Railways Jobs
Navi Mumbai: A man who posed as a job agent and cheated several youths by promising jobs in the Indian Railways has been arrested by the Panvel City Police. The accused, identified as Akshay Kalgutkar, was apprehended from a dhaba in CBD Belapur after allegedly cheating a youth from Panvel of Rs 19.42 lakh.
About The Case
According to police officials, Kalgutkar, a resident of Nerul, published a fake job advertisement on Facebook in July 2024 under the name “Job Adda,” targeting unemployed individuals seeking employment in the Railways. A youth from Panvel responded to the ad and contacted Kalgutkar, who lured him with the promise of a senior clerk position.
The victim was initially asked to pay Rs 3 lakh for job processing. Over the next six months, Kalgutkar extorted an additional Rs 16.43 lakh under the pretext of various formalities such as medical examinations, document verification, and administrative clearances. Eventually, he handed the victim a forged appointment letter on a fake Indian Railways letterhead.
When the youth approached the Railways to confirm his appointment, he discovered the letter was bogus. Realizing he had been duped, he attempted to contact Kalgutkar, who had gone into hiding. The victim subsequently filed a complaint with the Panvel City Police.
A case of cheating and forgery was registered against Kalgutkar, who had been absconding. Under the supervision of Senior Police Inspector Nitin Thackeray, PSI Abhay Kadam and his team launched a manhunt. Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested him from a local dhaba where he was found consuming alcohol.
“Kalgutkar has a history of similar offenses and a gambling habit. He confessed to spending the scammed money on gambling and personal indulgences. Further investigations revealed that he had also duped friends and acquaintances of around Rs 13 lakh using the same job scam strategy. In addition, Kalgutkar has been implicated in a major scam amounting to Rs 75 lakh under the jurisdiction of Rabale MIDC Police Station, where criminal cases are already registered against him,” a police officer from Panvel City police station said.
Back in June 2018, Nerul Police had arrested Kalgutkar for allegedly cheating his friends of Rs 13 lakh. Though he was granted bail at the time, he repeatedly failed to appear in court, despite multiple notices. This led the court to issue a non-bailable arrest warrant against him. He was rearrested by Nerul Police in August 2022.
Kalgutkar has now been remanded to judicial custody. Authorities are urging other victims who may have fallen prey to similar scams to come forward. An investigation is ongoing to trace other possible fraud cases linked to him.
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