TEAM HERALD
PONDA: Ponda Police on Thursday arrested two employees of the Goa Mines and Geology Department on charges of cheating several job aspirants to the tune of Rs 40 lakh.
According to Ponda Police, accused Siddesh Borkar from Malbhat-Margao employed as assistant data entry operator and Ramchandra Verlekar from Shiroda working as LDC were arrested from the office of the Mines and Geology Department, Panjim, on Thursday afternoon.
Police informed that Borkar in connivance with Verlekar reportedly cheated seven persons to the tune of Rs 40 lakh by assuring jobs in the government departments.
In his complaint, Damodar Naik of Vaze-Shiroda told Ponda Police that he was assured a job as tax inspector and had paid Rs 5 lakh to Borkar in 2011.
According to sources, Verlekar was earlier reported to be related to an influential politician and Damodar and six other job aspirants were lured into the job racket scam.
Sources further informed that through Damodar, Borkar and Verlekar reportedly approached the other six job aspirants.
According to police, the other six jobs that were assured are two police sub inspectors, one in the fire force, one as network engineer in government IT department, one as commercial tax inspector and another as transport guard.
Police informed that for a job in IT, Rs 10 lakhs were paid, for PSI’s an advance of Rs 4 lakh each by the two persons were paid, while Rs 10 lakh for commercial tax inspector, Rs 5 lakh for transport guard, for the job in fire force an advance of Rs 2 lakh and including Rs 5 lakh from the complainant.
Police said since the names of the seven job aspirants did not appear in the selected list last year, Damodar along with the other six persons approached Borkar and Verlekar, who assured to return the money, but failed to do so.
Police said the complaint was first lodged at Agassaim Police station as Borkar and Verlekar reportedly told the duped job seekers that the money was given to Robert Gonsalves, a suspended employee of the Mines and Geology Department.
Police said Gonsalves was one of the accused arrested in connection with a murder case by Agassaim Police earlier this year.
The case was transferred to Ponda Police on Thursday and police said they are also investigating the role of Gonsalves in the job scam.
