14 December,2015 02:50 PM IST | | Saurabh Vaktania
The policeman is accused of promising his colleagues – most of whom are his neighbours – with jobs outside the police force; he has cheated his victims to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore
The Bhoiwada police have arrested a 31-year-old police constable, who is accused of cheating around 16 policemen - most of whom are his neighbours - on the pretext of helping them get more âcomfortable' jobs in places like the BMC, sales tax department, the excise department and Mantralaya.
Harshal Dinkar Kolghe had been carrying on with his scam for over a year
The accused has been identified as Harshal Dinkar Kolghe. Assistant Police Inspector Nitin Khade of Bhoiwada police station said, "The accused was arrested on a complaint by Kafinath Dahale, a cop. We arrested him on Saturday. A court has remanded him in police custody till December 21." Kolghe had been carrying on with his scam for over a year.
Modus operandi
According to cops, Kolghe is attached with the Mumbai police's band. He is a resident of Naigaon Police Colony in Bhoiwada, where most cops reside. He had befriended them.
A police officer said, "A policeman's job is not a cakewalk. Many policemen who join the force complain about the long duty hours and the tedious bandobast duty. His modus operandi was targetting cops who were upset with their job as policemen. He would have long chats with them since they all reside in the same area."
The officer added, "Kolghe promised them a job in the BMC, sales tax, excise, Mantralaya, by saying that he has good influence at the top level. He would tell his victims that a police job is very bad as one have to work for over 16 hours, and there is pressure from seniors and no money."
Fake documents
Kolghe would make fake documents of all the departments and give it to his victims. Dahale, the complainant, was promised a job in Mantralaya. He said, "I thought I will get a better job than I had in police service. I gave R8 lakh to him."
The police officials said that Kolghe took Rs 9 to 10 lakh from each of his victims. An officer said, "When people he was scamming took time to pay up, he would take them out to party and drink alcohol. He has cheated people to the tune of over Rs 1.5 crore. We suspect that more people are involved in the case. Further investigations are on."
