A serious case of cheating has come to light in which unemployed youths were allegedly duped on the pretext of being provided jobs at Mumbai Airport. The accused allegedly collected a total of ₹7.26 lakh from six youths by showing them fake job offer letters. Airport Police have registered a case of cheating and criminal intimidation against the accused, identified as Vilas Sudhakar Thakre, and further investigation is underway.
According to police, the accused cheated 25-year-old Govandi resident Rehan Irfan Qazi and his five friends between February 2024 and October 2024 by assuring them employment at Mumbai Airport. Projecting himself as an influential person, the accused gained the confidence of the youths and handed over fake appointment letters in the name of airport jobs.
When the promised jobs did not materialise for a long time and the victims realised they had been cheated, they demanded their money back. However, the accused allegedly refused to return the amount and also threatened them with dire consequences. Following this, the victims approached the police and lodged a formal complaint.
During the preliminary and detailed investigation, police scrutinised the bank accounts of both the victims and the accused. The investigation revealed that the accused had received a total amount of ₹7.26 lakh through different bank accounts. The job offer letters submitted by the victims were found to be completely fake.
Based on sufficient evidence, a case has been registered against the accused under Sections 318(4) (cheating), 336(3) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Rehan Qazi, along with Faizan Qazi, Mastan Sheikh, Amankumar Pandey, Shazeb Khan and Mohammad Shariq Khan, have been named as witnesses in the case. Further investigation is ongoing.