A Sangli-based businessman lost Rs 33 lakh, while 36 other people were also duped in what police say was a carefully staged civic recruitment scam. Anilkumar Krishnarao Gonjari, 50, lodged a complaint with Kurla police alleging that the accused promised jobs in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) L ward in Kurla in exchange for money.

According to the FIR, the main accused, Maya Narendra Chavan, 59, who works as a peon in the Solid Waste Department of BMC’s L ward, claimed she had contacts and could secure appointments. She quoted fixed rates — Rs 1.7 lakh for peon, Rs 1.8 lakh for clerk, and Rs 2.5 lakh for RA clerk and head clerk posts.