‘Work-from-home’ scam: Maharashtra man allegedly dupes over 8,000 women in Belagavi of Rs 12 crore
Belagavi: In a major fraud, a man from Maharashtra allegedly swindled more than 8,000 women in Belagavi of over Rs 12 crore by promising them ‘work-from-home’ jobs, before fleeing from his rented home and office in Belagavi.
A group of women recently approached the Belagavi Police Commissioner alleging that they were cheated by a man who promised them steady earnings through a work-from-home scheme involving the packing of agarbattis (incense sticks), The New Indian Express reported on Monday.
The accused, who initially identified himself as Ajay Patil, is said to have collected between Rs 2,500 and Rs 5,000 from each woman under the pretext of creating an employment ID, while also requiring each participant to recruit two more women in what appears to be a chain-marketing model. Investigations later revealed that his real name is Babasaheb Kolekar, a native of Solapur, who has since absconded.
Victims quoted in the news report said the fraudulent scheme primarily targeted women associated with self-help groups. Each participant was asked to pay between Rs 2,500 and Rs 5,000, allegedly as a “rental charge” for autorickshaws that would deliver incense sticks to their homes for packing and later collection.
The women were promised a monthly income of Rs 2,500 for completing the packaging work from home. They were further enticed with assurances of higher earnings if they recruited additional members into the scheme. However, when the promised payments never materialised, several women began questioning the organisers and eventually came together to file complaints with the authorities.
Laxmi Kamble, one of the victims of the scam, lost her husband recently and was seeking a work-from-home opportunity to support her family. She learned about the purported job scheme through other women in her community and joined it in the hope of earning a livelihood. “Many women got enrolled in this scheme due to mouth-to-mouth publicity. The police commissioner should take this case seriously, arrest the accused who fled to Maharashtra and help to return our money,” TNIE quoted her as saying.
Govind Lamani, an autorickshaw driver, said the mastermind of the scheme had hired six to seven autos to deliver incense sticks to women’s homes as part of the purported work-from-home arrangement. He added that his own wife had fallen victim to the fraud, losing Rs 20,000 in cash.
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BJP to fight Assam polls on twin planks of development, secure state
Guwahati (PTI): In a bid to win the Assam Assembly elections for the third time in a row, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday advised the state BJP brass to fight on twin planks: development and a secure state.
Shah, who wound up a two-day visit to Assam, held a nearly two-hour-long meeting with senior leaders of the BJP state unit at the party headquarters here, with a focus on discussing strategy for the state elections, expected in March-April.
Briefing reporters after the closed-door meeting, BJP Assam president Dilip Saikia said, "Development and a secure Assam will be our twin electoral planks."
He also said that Shah, known for his expertise in electoral politics, has offered valuable suggestions, and based on it, an action plan to retain power in the state will be formulated soon.
“Discussions were held in detail on our organisational and political calendars. Shah ji offered some very valuable suggestions, and we will implement those at the earliest…We will share more details on the action plan soon,” Saikia said.
He further said that the Union minister exhorted the state party leadership to ensure that not only do they secure a ‘massive landslide victory’ but also bag more seats than in the previous election.
The BJP currently leads a coalition government in Assam with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), while the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) has also extended support.
In the 126-member Assembly, the BJP now has 64 legislators, while its allies AGP, UPPL and BPF have nine, seven and three memnbers, respectively. In the opposition camp, the Congress’ strength is 26, while AIUDF has 15 members and CPI(M) one. There is an Independent legislator also, belonging to Raijor Dal.
Saikia said that the party will continue to contest the state polls in coalition with its NDA allies, which was also favoured by Shah.
Dismissing reports of chinks in the ruling coalition, the Lok Sabha MP said, “As far as the NDA is concerned, we are united in Assam. There could be discussions about some issues on individual party forums.”
The saffron party has maintained that its alliance with the regional parties will continue, and formalities like seat-sharing arrangements are being worked out.
Shah, who was on his second visit to the state within a month, attended two other events in Dibrugarh and Dheamji earlier in the day. He left for West Bengal after the meeting at the Guwahati state party headquarters.
