Alcohol Addict Poses As Govt Official, Cheats Women Under Ladki Bahin Scheme; Arrested From Jalna

Beed: The Amalner police have arrested a man who allegedly cheated several women by posing as a government official and promising them benefits under the Ladki Bahin and other government schemes. The accused allegedly collected money online using QR scanners belonging to different establishments.

The accused has been identified as Gorakshanath Navnath Panhalkar (35), a resident of Nalwandi in Patoda taluka. During the investigation, police found that he resorted to the fraud mainly to fund his alcohol addiction.

According to police, Panhalkar would introduce himself in Patoda tehsil and nearby rural areas as “Jadhav Saheb from the Social Welfare Department.” He would tell women that items such as sewing machines, flour mills and utensil kits had been sanctioned for them under a government scheme.

He then demanded Rs 2,500 as transportation charges for delivering the kits. To avoid suspicion, he did not ask victims to transfer money directly to his personal account. Instead, he used QR scanners belonging to hotels, paan stalls and Maha e-Seva centres to collect the payments.

In one such incident, Kavita Pawar from Pimpalwandi in Patoda tehsil and four other women were allegedly cheated of Rs 9,000. Realising that they had been duped after the promised kits were not delivered, Pawar lodged a complaint with Amalner police on February 15.

A police team led by Assistant Police Inspector Bhargav Sapkal, along with Yogesh Bahirwal, Dilip Ghoshir, Pooja Tipte and Sheetal Pawal, carried out the operation. Police Sub-Inspector Chavan and his team also assisted in the investigation.

During the probe, police examined Call Detail Records (CDR) of 25-30 mobile numbers. The accused frequently changed SIM cards and switched his phone on and off to evade detection, making the investigation challenging. However, with technical assistance, police traced and detained him from Jalna city on March 9.

Investigations revealed that Panhalkar, a Class V dropout, was heavily addicted to alcohol. After drinking at bars, he would call the husbands of women and claim that their kits had been approved, urging them to immediately transfer money through the QR scanner of the same hotel where he was drinking.