Pune: Jejuri Temple Trustee Arrested For Cheating Job Seekers Of Rs 2.75 Crore
Shivajinagar, 30th September 2026: Shivajinagar Police have arrested Dr Rajendra Baburao Khedekar, a trustee of the Martand Devasthan in Jejuri, for allegedly cheating educated unemployed people of nearly ₹2.75 crore by promising them jobs in various departments of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Khedekar was produced before a court, which remanded him to five days of police custody until October 3. According to the police, their investigation has so far found that more than 14 candidates were allegedly issued fake appointment letters and cheated of nearly ₹2.75 crore.
A case has been registered against Khedekar, Shivnandan Balasaheb Patil, a peon in the PMC’s education department, and other accused at Shivajinagar and Bharati Vidyapeeth police stations. The complaint was lodged by a superintendent from the PMC’s general administration department.
According to the complaint, the alleged fraud took place between May 2022 and May 2025 at PMC premises and other locations. The accused allegedly acted in collusion and used fake PMC letterheads, seals and forged signatures of senior civic officials to create fake employment documents.
Police said the candidates were allegedly given fake appointment letters, identity cards, service books, medical certificates and salary slips. To make the appointments appear genuine, the accused allegedly created records showing that salaries had been credited to the candidates’ bank accounts.
After the case was registered, Khedekar allegedly went absconding and approached the Pune Sessions Court seeking anticipatory bail. The court rejected his application, observing that the alleged recruitment fraud appeared to be organised and that custodial interrogation was required to determine the roles of the accused and the extent of the alleged offence.
Shivajinagar Police subsequently produced Khedekar before the court and sought his custody for further investigation. The court granted five days of police custody.
The investigation is being conducted under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Girish Dighavkar.
