Retired DIC officer defrauded of Rs 56 lakh

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Three individuals have been charged with defrauding a retired officer of Rs 56 lakh by promising to secure a contract for works under the Rajya Sabha MP's discretionary fund. Meanwhile, a case has been registered against accused Bharat Raju Shendge (resident of Kesarsinghpura), Jyotika Pawar, and Ashwin Jadhav at the Vedantnagar Police Station in this matter.

Tushar Basaniwal (36, Padampura) is employed with a company, and his father, Krishnalal Basaniwal, has retired from the District Industries Centre (DIC). In 2015, he had contested as an independent candidate in the municipal elections. During this time, Shendge came into contact with him. Shendge claimed to have a good acquaintance with the Rajya Sabha MP and said that his maternal uncle was employed as a driver for the MP. In 2021, Tushar obtained a construction supervisor license from the Public Works Department.

In 2022, Shendge lured Tushar by promising to secure work for him under the Rajya Sabha MP's fund. Under the pretext of the process, he extorted Rs 32,000 from him. In September 2023, Shendge claimed that work worth Rs 1 crore had been sanctioned under the MP's fund and showed him the roadwork near the District Court as an example. He then extorted more money from Tushar, who repeatedly asked for the work order. However, Shendge continued to avoid giving him the work order.

On September 30, 2023, a woman named Jyotika Pawar called and claimed she was speaking from ‘Saheb's office.’ Based on her instructions, the complainant gave Rs 27,000 to Shendge. At that time, Kunal Gaikwad was with him. Shendge further extorted Rs 15 lakh from Basaniwals on December 6, 2023, by citing the sanctioning of seven more work orders and pretended to go to an office in Nutan Colony.

After January 2024, Shendge started accepting money through hawala transactions. He accepted a total of Rs 12.43 lakh in the names of 17 individuals and an unknown company. On September 12, 2024, his accomplice, Ashwin Jadhav, lured the victim into paying more money. Finally, on September 25, 2024, Tushar went to the Rajya Sabha MP's office to verify the situation. It was then revealed that no work had been assigned to Shendge by the MP's office, and Tushar Basaniwal was advised to file a complaint with the police. By that time, Shendge had extorted Rs 56.38 lakh from the complainant.