The RCF Police have arrested a 43-year-old man for allegedly duping five job seekers of ₹50 lakh by promising them employment as Commercial Clerks in the Indian Railways. The accused, identified as Rahul Binuprasad Dip alias Rahul Dip, had allegedly been posing as a senior officer of Central Railway. After a case was registered against him, he had gone absconding. He was finally arrested after 11 months from the Ulwe area of Navi Mumbai and is currently in police custody. Police suspect more shocking revelations in the case as the investigation progresses.
The complaint was filed by Rupesh Kshirsagar, a resident of Mahul Road, Chembur. Three years ago, Rupesh’s father had taken a hotel on rent in Byculla, where Rupesh, his wife Akshada and his brother Nikhil were working. At this hotel, a man named Shivaji Bhausaheb Mohite was a frequent visitor. He had introduced himself as a builder from Pune and claimed to have strong connections with government officials.
During conversations, Shivaji told Rupesh that he could arrange jobs in the Railways for unemployed youths. Since Rupesh and his brother had unsuccessfully tried for government jobs earlier, they requested Shivaji to help them secure jobs in the Railways. Shivaji took Rupesh’s mobile number for further communication.
After some time, the family suffered heavy losses in their hotel business and shut it down. Around this period, Shivaji visited their residence and informed them about vacancies for Commercial Clerk posts in the Railways, assuring jobs for 5–6 candidates. He demanded ₹10 lakh per candidate, claiming the job was guaranteed.
Rupesh, Nikhil and Akshada handed over their educational and personal documents to him. Additionally, Rupesh submitted the applications of his acquaintances Ganesh Narwade and Janhavi Hankare. The group paid Shivaji ₹50 lakh in instalments for securing the jobs. Shivaji then introduced them to Rahul Dip, claiming he was a high-ranking Railway officer who would finalise their appointments.
A few months later, the victims received appointment letters—bearing the Indian Railways logo and signatures—stating they had been selected as Commercial Clerks and were required to join for training. They were even sent to various Mumbai railway stations for supposed training, but no officials turned up to guide them. When they questioned Shivaji and Rahul, both gave evasive answers.
Later, they were told that their postings would come through the Kolkata Railway quota. They were then called to Howrah, where they were made to fill forms and even given a written examination with question papers and answer sheets. Their medical tests were also conducted.
On 2 February 2024, they received letters by post asking them to report to Kolkata for joining. Once they reached, they were directed to Orissa. However, they were not taken into service at any point. It was only then they realised they had been conned by Shivaji Mohite and Rahul Dip.
Rupesh and the other victims then approached the RCF Police and lodged a complaint. During verification, police found that the duo had fabricated bogus documents in the name of the Indian Railways and cheated the victims of ₹50 lakh.
Shivaji Mohite was arrested soon after the case was filed, but Rahul Dip had absconded. Police had been searching for him for the last 11 months.
During the ongoing search operation, police received information that Rahul was hiding in Ulwe, Navi Mumbai. A team traced him and took him into custody. Interrogation revealed his involvement in the fraud, following which he was formally arrested and produced in court. The court remanded him to police custody.
Police are now investigating how many more candidates may have been duped by this racket, how much money was collected, and where the funds were invested.