On Wednesday, the Sitabuldi police arrested a woman who was part of a group that made fraudulent promises of awarding prizes in association with Lokmat and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). The suspect, identified as Himanshi Rajkumar Kothekar from Shanti Nagar, has been taken into custody, while the main accused, Govind Belsare, is still being sought by the police.
The gang responsible for the fraud had shared two posters on social media platforms, falsely claiming that an award ceremony would take place in May at Mankapur indoor stadium. The posters had photos of popular actors Rashmika Mandanna and Kiara Advani, who were mentioned as the award presenters. They demanded Rs 15,000 from several beauticians in the city, under the guise of providing them with prizes and getting their video bytes.
The incident came to light when Kirti Tiwari, a beautician, approached Lokmat with her concerns. The gang demanded Rs. 15,000 from her under the pretext of awarding prizes and getting her a video byte from the event. On Wednesday, a man posing as Kirti's brother was sent to meet Himanshi after the gang demanded the money again. Himanshi met this man outside a mall in Sitabuldi where plainclothes policemen arrested her.
The Sitabuldi police filed a case against Himanshi under Sections 419, 465, 468, 471, and 34 of the IPC. Himanshi claimed that Govind Belsare, a resident of Mahal, was the main accused and the mastermind behind the scam.
She was collecting money from beauticians at his behest. Because of the logo of Lokmat and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on the poster, the victims felt that it was a genuine offer. The money she collected was going to be deposited in Govind's bank account only.
The poster of the programme posted by this gang on social media has the logo of NMC along with Lok mat. Nagpur Municipal Corporation Municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B, after the disclosure of this matter, said NMC will also lodge a complaint in Sitabuldi police station as the Municipal Corporation had not organised any such programme.
Radhakrishnan, the Municipal Commissioner, stated that the gang's fraudulent use of the NMC's name was an attempt to damage its reputation. He urged people to be cautious of such individuals and to report any such incidents to the police.