Pune: The Pune Police have registered a case against three persons, including a trustee of the Jejuri temple, for allegedly cheating a job aspirant of ₹45 lakh by promising a permanent job in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) using forged appointment letters, fake official seals, counterfeit signatures of senior civic officials and fabricated PMC letterheads, officials said on Tuesday.
The complaint was filed by Shalaka Vinayak Ghoge (49), Superintendent of the General Administration Department of the PMC and a resident of Baner-Sus Road, at the Shivajinagar Police Station.
Based on the complaint, police have booked Shivanand Balasaheb Patil, a peon in the PMC's Education Department, Namita Govardhan Bansode, and Rajendra Baban Khedekar, a trustee of the Jejuri temple. The alleged offences took place between March 2022 and July 2026 at the PMC and other locations in Pune. Patil was posted as a peon at the Khashaba Jadhav Sports Complex on Tilak Road.
According to the police, the accused lured unemployed candidates by assuring them of permanent jobs in various PMC departments. They allegedly collected huge sums of money from job seekers and prepared forged PMC letterheads, counterfeit seals, fake signatures of senior civic officials and fabricated appointment letters to make the documents appear genuine.
In one such case, the trio allegedly promised a youth from Patan a job as a Junior Engineer in the PMC and collected ₹45 lakh from him on different occasions. They allegedly issued him a fake appointment order bearing forged signatures of the PMC Deputy Commissioner (General) and the Administrative Officer of the Building Department, along with the PMC's official emblem and watermark, to deceive him.
Police said the accused accepted money from candidates through both cash and cheques. Victims were repeatedly assured that their appointments had been finalised, but no jobs were actually provided.
Investigators suspect that more people may have been involved in the racket. Police are examining financial transactions, bank records, forged documents and other evidence to identify additional accused and determine the full extent of the scam.
Further investigation is underway.
