Pune: Woman Poses as Railway Ticket Collector, Cheats Ex-Army Man of Rs 17.27 Lakh
Wanowrie, 28th December 2024: A woman has been booked for allegedly impersonating a Railway Ticket Collector (TC) and defrauding a retired Army personnel of ₹17.27 lakh under the pretense of securing jobs in the Railways for two girls in his family. The joint operation by the Army’s Southern Command Intelligence Unit and Pune City Police led to the registration of the case.
The fraud, which took place between September 2022 and the present in Wanowrie, came to light after the retired Army man, now working as an electrician, lodged a First Information Report (FIR) with the Wanowrie Police Station.
According to the police, the accused, identified as Sanjivani Nilesh Patne and her accomplice, Shubham Mod, both residents of Wanowrie, lured the complainant by promising jobs in Indian Railways. They also extracted money by falsely claiming urgent medical expenses for Patne’s husband, who she said had a brain tumor.
The complainant initially met Patne while performing electrical work at her house. Claiming to work as a Railway TC, Patne offered to help the complainant secure jobs for his two nieces in exchange for money. Trusting her, he paid a portion of the demanded sum.
Subsequently, Patne called the complainant and said her husband needed immediate surgery for a brain tumor, requesting additional funds. She assured him that the money would be repaid through her husband’s health insurance. The complainant provided the money both for her husband’s supposed treatment and the job placements, police said.
Patne later sent the complainant a fabricated selection list with a forged Indian Railways stamp via WhatsApp, claiming the job confirmation letters would arrive soon. However, months passed without any letters. When the complainant followed up, Patne gave excuses, often citing her husband’s deteriorating health and claiming he was in a coma.
At one point, the complainant was contacted by Shubham Mod, who threatened him with harm if he continued contacting Patne. When the complainant attempted to confront her, he found that she had vacated her residence. Upon further inquiry, he learned that her husband never had a brain tumor and that Patne had duped others in similar schemes.
Investigations revealed that Patne has several fraud cases registered against her at Nigdi Police Station in Pune, Rahimatpur Police Station in Satara, and Nesari (Juna Rajwada) Police Station in Kolhapur.
The Wanowrie Police have registered a case against Patne and Mod under sections of the Indian Penal Code for criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, using forged documents as genuine, criminal intimidation, and common intention.
Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Patange of Wanowrie Police Station is overseeing the investigation.
