Pune: PMC Recruitment Scam Exposed; Candidates Cheated Of ₹45 Lakh With Fake Appointment Letters

A major recruitment scam involving the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has come to light, in which candidates were allegedly cheated of nearly Rs 45 lakh on the promise of securing municipal jobs. The fraud came to light after documents related to appointment letters, training orders, bank transactions, and signatures of senior officials came out publicly. 

According to documents accessed by the paper, original-looking PMC letterheads, stamps and signatures of senior officers were misused to give the recruitment process an official appearance. Despite this, no actual administrative action was taken to appoint the candidates to municipal service.

One victim candidate, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he paid a total of Rs 45 lakh for the post of Junior Engineer (Group ‘C’). After receiving the appointment letter, Rs 20 lakh was taken initially. In 2023, the victim even received two months’ salary, which further strengthened his trust in the process. The remaining amount was taken later. However, even after three years, the candidate never joined actual service.

The name of Martand Jejuri Devasthan trustee Dr Rajendra Baban Khedekar has surfaced in connection with the case. It is alleged that he accepted Rs 45 lakh from the candidate by assuring him a PMC job. Khedekar has denied all allegations, stating that he has no connection with the matter and is ready to face an official inquiry.

The scam has raised serious questions about PMC’s internal functioning, document security and inter-departmental controls. Documents indicate misuse of original letterheads, official stamps and forged signatures, including those of then Additional Commissioner Ravindra Binwade, to make appointment letters and training orders appear genuine.

Even after receiving appointment and training orders, the candidates were never allowed to begin service. After repeated delays and no communication with the intermediaries, prompting candidates to investigate on their own. Gradually, bank records, forged documents and official-looking letters came together, exposing the full extent of the fraud.

The Aam Aadmi Party, Pimpri-Chinchwad unit, has submitted a formal complaint to the Police Commissioner and Municipal Commissioner. City president Raviraj Kale stated that this is no longer a mere allegation but a proven scam, backed by documentary evidence such as appointment letters, training orders, bank transactions and forged signatures. He demanded strict action against all those involved.

Citizens are now demanding an audit of financial transactions, identification of the entire chain of accused, and a thorough investigation into how official letterheads and signatures were accessed and misused.