Ponda: The Ponda Police have filed their first chargesheet in the high-profile cash-for-jobs scam, naming mastermind Deepashri Sawant, her accomplice, suspended constable Sagar Naik, and Sunita Sawant. The chargesheet, running over 600 pages, includes nine witnesses and details a recovery of Rs 10 lakh.
The case stems from a complaint filed by Trupti Prabhu, who alleged that Naik had cheated her out of Rs 15 lakh with a promise of securing a teaching job at Marcel School. The investigation later led to the arrests of Sunita and Deepashri. The police have seized vehicles and bank accounts linked to the accused.
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This is the first case reported at Ponda Police Station, but investigations are also underway at Mardol, where Deepashri Sawant faces allegations of scamming multiple job aspirants.
In addition to the Ponda case, Sawant is also accused of defrauding two job seekers of Rs 25 lakh. At Mardol, Sawant, along with other accomplices, is linked to a larger scam involving Rs 3.88 crore from 44 job aspirants. The total amount across both stations is approximately Rs 4.1 crore.
The scam, which began in 2024, first came to light with the arrest of Pooja Naik in Mardol on October 22, 2024, for collecting Rs 14 lakh from a job seeker. Sawant’s involvement was uncovered shortly after, with additional complaints emerging from both Ponda and Mardol. Other suspects, including Shruti Prabugaonkar, have also been arrested in connection with the scam.
While arrests have been made, police are still investigating the deeper network behind these scams.
