Pune, Maharashtra: Police have arrested a peon employed at a Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)-run school for allegedly cheating unemployed youths of ₹45 lakh by promising them permanent jobs with the civic body. Investigators allege that the accused and his associates used forged appointment letters, fake government letterheads, counterfeit seals, and fabricated signatures of senior officials to convince candidates that they had secured municipal jobs. A trustee of a prominent temple in Pune district is also under investigation for his suspected role in the case.
The alleged recruitment scam is said to have operated between March 2022 and July 2026. The complaint was lodged at Shivajinagar Police Station by Shalaka Vinayak Dhone, an officer with the Pune Municipal Corporation. According to the complaint, the accused collected large sums of money from several job seekers at PMC offices and other locations by falsely assuring them of permanent government employment.
Police have arrested Shivanand Balasaheb Patil, a peon employed at a PMC-run school, from Pune’s Kothrud area. Investigators believe the accused had been targeting unemployed youths for several years by offering fake recruitment opportunities in the municipal corporation.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the accused allegedly prepared forged Pune Municipal Corporation letterheads, fake official seals, fabricated signatures of senior civic officials, and counterfeit appointment letters. These documents were designed to closely resemble genuine government records, convincing victims that the recruitment process was legitimate. Based on these forged documents, the accused allegedly collected money from candidates through both cash payments and cheques.
According to the complaint, several candidates were informed that their appointments had been finalised and that they would soon receive posting orders. However, despite waiting for extended periods, none of the promised appointments materialised. Subsequent verification revealed that no such recruitment process had been conducted by the Pune Municipal Corporation, exposing the alleged fraud.
Police have registered a case against the accused on charges including cheating, forgery, preparing forged government documents, and using counterfeit official records. Investigators are also trying to determine how many individuals were involved in the recruitment racket and the total number of victims who may have been defrauded.
According to a Researcher at Algoritha Security, employment fraud schemes often rely on forged appointment letters, fake government websites, fabricated documents, and the misuse of influential names to gain the confidence of job seekers. Candidates should verify every recruitment announcement only through the official websites of the concerned government department or authorised recruitment agencies. Any demand for money in exchange for a government job or requests for payment through unofficial channels should be treated as a strong warning sign of fraud.
Police are currently examining financial transactions, bank accounts, forged documents, and other digital evidence linked to the case. Investigators suspect that additional individuals may have been involved in the racket. Authorities are also verifying whether this case is connected to a similar recruitment fraud complaint previously registered at Swargate Police Station.
The investigation is continuing on multiple fronts to identify all those involved in the alleged scam. Police said further legal action will be taken against any additional accused identified during the investigation, and efforts are underway to uncover the full extent of the fraudulent recruitment network.
