Accused Allegedly Exploited Farmer’s Lack of Awareness to Commit Fraud
THANE: The Kulgaon-Badlapur police on Friday arrested four individuals for allegedly siphoning off ₹74.50 lakh from a tribal farmer’s bank account. The money was part of a government compensation package awarded to Jijabai Divekar, a resident of Badlapur, for the acquisition of her land under the Jawaharlal Nehru Port-Vadodara Highway Project.
According to police reports, the accused fraudulently transferred the sum into their own accounts, taking advantage of Divekar’s limited financial literacy. The fraud came to light when she recently checked her bank account balance and found a significant shortfall.
Politically Connected Accused Exploited Farmers’ Illiteracy
The arrested individuals have been identified as Sanjay Giri, Bhagwan Chanche, Suresh Tokri, and S Valve. Investigators revealed that the accused have ties to various political parties and have been involved in similar financial manipulations targeting tribal farmers.
“Sanjay Giri allegedly obtained thumb impressions from the victims under false pretenses and diverted a significant portion of the compensation funds,” said an officer from the Kulgaon police station.
Authorities are now probing whether bank officials or other individuals were complicit in the scam.
More Arrests Likely as Investigation Continues
The police have launched a broader investigation to determine if other farmers were similarly defrauded and whether government officials facilitated the fraudulent transactions.
“We are verifying if more people were involved, and strict action will be taken against all those responsible,” said a senior police officer.
The case highlights growing concerns over fraud targeting tribal communities, particularly in cases involving land acquisition compensation.
