Nagpur: After nearly a year of investigation, the Rs 5.31 crore recruitment scam took an unexpected turn with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Nagpur Police arresting the complainant and a key witness for their direct involvement in the fraud.
The complainant, Ashwin Arvind Wankhede (32), a resident of Flat No 101, Ekdant Apartment, Jai Durga Society, Manish Nagar, Nagpur; and witness Chetan Krishnarao Bhosale (30), a resident of Plot No 10, Aarti Apartment, Dattatraya Nagar, Sakkardara, Nagpur, were taken into custody for colluding with the prime accused, Omkar Mahendra Talmale. Masquerading as a NASA scientist, Talmale (26), a resident of Smriti Layout, near Namdeo Lawns, Dattawadi, had duped several job seekers by offering jobs at the Regional Remote Sensing Centre. The EOW probe revealed that Wankhede had accepted over Rs 2.47 crore from job aspirants with the money being deposited into his bank account.
Meanwhile, the accused Bhosale had received Rs 1 crore from some of the victims, which also reflected in his account. Wankhede, initially the complainant in the case, and Bhosale, a key witness, were believed to be assisting in the investigation but have now been found to be actively involved in the scam.
This case involving prime accused Talmale highlights a pattern of criminal activity, ranging from murder to large-scale fraud. Talmale, already an accused in the brutal murder of two traders, Nirala Kumar and Ambarish Gole, was linked to a massive scam where he posed as a NASA scientist. By falsely promising jobs at the Regional Remote Sensing Centre, Nagpur, he along with Wankhede and Bhosale managed to dupe over 111 jobless youths of Rs 5.31 crore, issuing fake appointment letters to bolster their claims.
Previously, Talmale and five accomplices were arrested for their alleged involvement in the double murder which was registered in July last year. After allegedly killing the two traders over a rivalry, Talmale and others had even attempted to destroy evidence by burning the bodies.
The recent arrests related to the job scam, including that of Wankhede and Bhosale, were made under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (EOW ) Archit Chandak. EOW officers produced accused Wankhede and Bhosale before the court and obtained a six-day remand for their custodial interrogation.
Further investigation is being conducted by ASI Sagar Awhad and his team.
