A 36-year-old BEST conductor from Navi Mumbai was allegedly cheated of ₹4.5 lakh by a three-member gang that promised him a government job as a havaldar in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Chunnabhatti Police have registered a case of cheating, forgery of government documents and misappropriation of money against the accused trio — Sarfaraz Salmani, Nilesh Sarode and Yogesh Kumar Shukla.
The complainant, Mahesh Devkar, a resident of Kamothe in Navi Mumbai, has been working as a contractual conductor with BEST since 2019 while preparing for competitive government exams. In 2022, a friend introduced him to Nilesh, who claimed he had contacts that could help secure a government posting. Soon after, Devkar was told that vacancies were available in CRPF and he could be appointed as a havaldar.
Nilesh later introduced him to Sarfaraz, who claimed he handled government job processing. Sarfaraz allegedly demanded ₹1 lakh as an upfront fee. Believing he would receive a government job, Devkar paid the amount.
A few days later, Sarfaraz called Devkar to Delhi for a medical examination at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital near Baba Kharak Singh Marg. Devkar travelled to Delhi on 21 August 2022, where he was introduced to Yogesh Kumar. Though he was sent for a medical test, the victim was later told the doctor had been “managed”.
The trio then handed over a fake CRPF appointment letter claiming that Devkar had been selected as a havaldar and would soon receive training. They demanded another ₹3 lakh, but the victim returned to Mumbai stating he didn’t have the amount.
Later, Sarfaraz took Devkar to the Central Secretariat office at Shastri Bhavan in Delhi and demanded additional money. Under pressure, Devkar paid another ₹3.5 lakh in instalments. He was also issued a bogus training letter.
When Devkar stopped receiving updates, he repeatedly tried contacting the accused. They did not respond. When he demanded a refund, he was given a cheque of ₹50,000 — which bounced. Devkar then realised that all the documents, including appointment and training letters, were fake.
Realising he had been cheated in the name of a government job, Devkar approached Chunnabhatti Police and lodged a complaint. After verification, police registered an FIR against Sarfaraz, Nilesh and Yogesh Kumar for cheating, forgery and siphoning off ₹4.5 lakh.
Investigators are probing whether the trio has similarly duped other job aspirants under the pretext of offering government employment. Police said all three accused will be questioned soon and further probe is underway.