The Marine Drive Police in Mumbai have arrested a 40-year-old man who allegedly posed as a government employee working at Mantralaya (state secretariat) and duped a Satara resident by promising to secure a government job for his brother. The accused, identified as Himmatrao Nimbalkar, a resident of Phaltan in Satara district, was arrested on Saturday. Police said another cheating case has also been registered against him in Pune.
According to officers, Nimbalkar had met the 32-year-old complainant last year at the MLA hostel canteen in South Mumbai, where he allegedly introduced himself as a Mantralaya staffer. During their conversation, he promised to help the complainant’s brother get a job as a peon at the Satara Sessions Court and also offered another placement at the postal department.
To make his claim appear genuine, the accused allegedly produced a fake approval certificate and demanded money to “process” the recruitment. Believing him, the complainant paid Rs 20,000 through Google Pay and another Rs 1.8 lakh via bank transfer.
However, after several months of delay and no progress on the promised job, the complainant realised he had been cheated and approached the Marine Drive Police Station, which registered an FIR in February this year under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) pertaining to cheating and forgery.
Following an investigation, the police traced Nimbalkar to Satara and arrested him. “The accused had been absconding for several months. He allegedly posed as a government employee and used fake documents to convince victims,” said a police officer from the Marine Drive Police Station.
Officers added that Nimbalkar also faces a cheating case registered at Shivajinagar Police Station in Pune. “The investigation is underway to find out if more people have been cheated in this manner,” the officer said.