Chembur man arrested for duping people in the name of loans and govt jobs

He lured them into transferring money to him by promising jobs as ticket collectors on Vande Bharat trains and also claimed to help them acquire loans under the chief minister’s fund, and duped them, said a police officer

MUMBAI: A 40-year-old man from Chembur was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly defrauding over 25 people by promising them loans and jobs. He lured them into transferring money to him by promising jobs as ticket collectors on Vande Bharat trains and also claimed to help them acquire loans under the chief minister’s fund, and duped them, said a police officer.

He was arrested and produced before a magistrate court, which remanded him in police custody till September 29. (Shutterstock)

According to the police, the accused Sameer Prakash Chundmunge promised the complainant Rakesh Shelke, 38, to help him get a ₹10-lakh loan sanctioned under the Chief Minister’s Assistance Fund in April 2023. Subsequently, Chundmunge helped him to fill out forms to apply for the loan and also promised Rakesh’s relative, Sachin Shelke, to secure job as a ticket collector in the newly launched Mumbai to Nagpur Vande Bharat Express train.

“A few weeks later, he asked them to transfer ₹25,000 for sanctioning the loan and ₹8 lakh for securing the job. He kept them waiting till June 2024, after which he said he would return the money as the job and the loan could not work out,” said a police officer.

Despite continuous follow-ups, Chundmunge didn’t return the money, and eventually, he stopped responding, after which the Shelkes approached the police on Wednesday and filed a complaint. A case has been registered against Chundmunge under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Subsequently, he was arrested and produced before a magistrate court, which remanded him in police custody till September 29.

“We found that he has defrauded over 25 people. He was promising the victims that he would return their money, and therefore, they delayed registering an offence,” the police said.