Maharashtra man posing as Navy officer, 2 aides arrested in job fraud

Claiming to be a commandant rank officer in the Navy, the man promised jobs to 19 people at the INS Shivaji in Lonavala and demanded Rs 3 lakh per person.

Pune Rural police Tuesday arrested a man posing as an Indian Navy officer and his two aides for attempting to cheat people on false assurances of jobs at INS Shivaji, the Lonavala-based training station of Indian Navy.

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The police have identified the accused persons as Akash Kashinath Dange, 28, Jayraj Anandrao Chavan, 26, and Abhay Kakade, 26, all hailing from Phaltan in Satara district. The sleuths recovered a car, Navy uniform and other items from Dange’s possession.

The police took action based on the complaint of advocate Aishwarya Lendghar, a resident of Bangarwadi in Lonavala, who works as a notary.

The police said in a statement that Dange, wearing the uniform of a Navy Officer, went to Lengdhar’s office in September 2022 for making an affidavit and later became a frequent visitor. Claiming to be a commandant rank officer in the Navy, he assured jobs to 19 people, including Lendghar’s relatives, at the INS Shivaji in Lonavala and demanded Rs 3 lakh per person, they said.

According to the police, Lendghar approached an officer at INS Shivaji for verification and she found there was no recruitment taking place in the establishment. She again contacted Dange and asked if he could recruit one more person to which he readily agreed. Finding this doubtful, Lendghar informed the police that Dange was coming to accept money and give a job appointment letter, the police said.