Mumbai: A 58-year-old retired electricity department employee, Laxman Pokharkar, has lodged a fraud complaint against a man named Prathamesh Lad, accusing him of duping him of ₹10 lakh under the pretext of securing railway jobs for his children.

According to the police, Pokharkar, a resident of Mulund East, stated in his complaint that he recently retired from MSEB and was anxious about finding employment for his unemployed son and daughter. Seeking help, he approached relatives, which led to an introduction to Sujata Patil near Sambhaji Maidan, Mulund East, in April 2024.

Sujata introduced Prathamesh Lad as her adopted son, claiming he held a high-ranking position in the Railways and was posted in Jaipur. She assured Pokharkar that Prathamesh had previously helped her son, Pratik Patil, secure a position in Mumbai, and her niece, Bhakti Nalawade, become a station superintendent in the Satara railway division.

Sujata demanded ₹8 lakh for the job placements, asking for an urgent advance of ₹2.5 lakh. Pokharkar borrowed ₹2 lakh from his brother-in-law and withdrew ₹3 lakh from his LIC policy, transferring ₹5 lakh to Prathamesh's Axis Bank account in Ghatkopar. Over two transactions, he transferred a total of ₹10 lakh for the promised jobs.

On May 7, Pokharkar's children received appointment letters on railway letterhead, complete with signatures from a senior officer. The letters instructed them to report to the Chief Officer at CST between May 15 and May 20. However, when they reached CST and tried contacting Prathamesh for further instructions, he failed to respond.

Suspicious, Pokharkar inquired about Prathamesh in his Ghatkopar locality and discovered that he had duped several others using similar tactics. Realizing he had been scammed, Pokharkar filed a complaint at Navghar Police Station against Prathamesh Lad.

The police are currently searching for the accused, and further investigations are underway.