Pune: City was rocked by a wave of financial fraud on Friday, with four separate incidents reported across different police stations, resulting in combined losses of more than Rs 70 lakh. The alarming increase in frauds has raised concerns over the safety of financial transactions in the city.
Gold Scam Defrauds 63-Year-Old in Wanwadi
In one of the largest cases, a 63-year-old man from Wanwadi was duped out of Rs 60 lakh after being lured by a fraudulent scheme that promised gold at a 10% discount. The victim, identified as Kishor Chandrakant Pasalkar, named six suspects in his complaint, including Devika Noshir Davar, Vidya Shahajad Ezdegardi, Gaurav Jitendra Salvi, Sohanlal Motilalji Parmar, and Harsh Parmar. According to Pasalkar, the scam took place on July 16 of the previous year, and the accused had falsely promised lucrative returns from the scheme. The case was reported at Wanwadi Police Station.
Online Job Fraud Strikes Vadgaon Sheri Resident
In another case, 38-year-old Prashant Gajanan Koli from Vadgaon Sheri was swindled out of Rs 5.33 lakh in an online job scam. Koli was approached by an unidentified fraudster who convinced him to invest money in a part-time job that promised quick returns. Koli transferred funds to multiple bank accounts on February 12 and 13, but never received any compensation. A complaint was filed at Chandan Nagar Police Station.
Court Stay Scam Targets Hadapsar Man
A third case emerged from Hadapsar, where 30-year-old Nilesh Maruti Kanhere of Shewalwadi was defrauded of Rs 4.5 lakh by two individuals, Alok Adsul and Parag Gosavi. The duo had promised Kanhere a favorable court stay order in exchange for money, which they never delivered. A case has been registered at Hadapsar Police Station.
Elderly Woman Robbed of Jewellery in Khadak
The fourth case involved an elderly woman from Budhwar Peth, Meera Sanjay Gandhi, who was swindled out of a gold necklace worth Rs 1.05 lakh. Gandhi was approached by three unidentified men at Nehru Chowk, who engaged her in a conversation under the pretext of asking for directions. While distracted, they stole her necklace. A complaint has been filed at Khadak Police Station.
The surge in fraud cases has prompted concerns over the safety of citizens’ financial assets in Pune. Authorities have been urged to strengthen measures and take stricter action to prevent such scams from affecting more people.
