Mumbai: A case of job fraud has come to light where a youth was allegedly cheated of ₹2.03 lakh by a man promising him a driver’s position in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The complainant, Omkar Bharat Manjrekar (27), a resident of Vinay U Garden on Chikhaldongri Road in Virar East, has filed a detailed complaint at the Bhoiwada Police Station.
Manjrekar has been working as a salesman at Vivo Mobile in Inorbit Mall, Malad since 2019 and has been preparing for government jobs for the past few years. According to the complaint, in April 2023, his cousin Eknath Manjrekar informed him about a recruitment drive for drivers in BMC and introduced him to Kishor Panchal, who then connected him with Kishor Bhalchandra Patil.
Patil allegedly took Manjrekar’s documents and demanded ₹3 lakh in exchange for securing the BMC driver post. Manjrekar paid ₹80,000 via Google Pay initially, followed by additional payments totaling ₹1.23 lakh in instalments through bank transactions, cheques, and online transfers — amounting to ₹2.03 lakh in total.
To appear genuine, Patil summoned Manjrekar to the F South BMC office in Parel, had him complete some formalities, and even made him sign a visitor register, assuring that the appointment letter would arrive soon. In May 2023, Patil informed him that his dummy candidate had cleared the test and that the recruitment was in its final phase.
However, Patil then started avoiding contact and eventually stopped answering calls. When Manjrekar pressed him for a refund, Patil gave him a ₹5,000 cheque but later asked him not to deposit it, promising he would return the full amount after selling a piece of land. A year has passed, yet neither the job nor the money has been delivered.
Frustrated, Manjrekar finally lodged a detailed complaint with Bhoiwada Police Station, demanding strict action against Patil. He submitted supporting documents including Aadhaar and PAN cards, a copy of the cheque, screenshots of bank transactions, bond papers, and other evidence. Police have registered the complaint and initiated a preliminary investigation.
