Pune: Elderly Citizens Cheated Of Rs 6.17 Lakh By Fake Plumber, Police Arrest Accused

Kothrud, 2nd April 2023: A conman who posed as a civic plumber and tricked elderly citizens into parting with their money, has been arrested by Pune city police.

The arrest came after an elderly woman reported that she had been duped of around Rs 3 lakh by the fraudster, who convinced her that her drainage system needed repairing. It later emerged that at least two other senior citizens in the Karve Nagar area had been cheated in a similar way by the same individual.

Following the complaint, police traced the suspect, Sandeep Chavan, who hails from Jalgaon, using his mobile location. Chavan cheated all three senior citizens out of around Rs 6.17 lakh in March. He would target elderly people living in bungalows whose children were living abroad.

“Chavan works as a sweeper on daily wages. He knew the drainage system like the back of his hand. In order to coerce his victims into paying for the repairs, he would threaten them with fines issued by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for neglecting to fix their drainage system,” said senior police inspector Rajendra Shahane of Alankar police station.

Chavan was able to persuade his victims to pay large amounts for repairs by working hard on the first day to create trust, before disappearing the next day. When the victims called him, he would threaten them that he would commit suicide if he were mentally harassed and write a suicide note, further frightening the elderly citizens.

The police have been unable to recover the details of Chavan’s bank account or phone, as he used a digital wallet and spent the money on drugs and alcohol immediately after receiving it. Chavan is an alcoholic and a drug addict and is married with two children, but his family doesn’t live with him. He was produced before the court on Saturday and has been remanded in police custody until Monday.

Inspector Shahane urged people who have fallen prey to similar frauds to come forward and report them to the police. He also warned the public to be vigilant and cautious when dealing with service providers, particularly those who make unsolicited calls or visits.

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