BELAGAVI: In the name of giving ‘work from home job’ for women, a man from Maharashtra has cheated over 8,000 women in Belagavi for over Rs 12 crore and has now fled from his rented home and office from Belagavi. The women who realised of being cheated lately are now approaching the police for action. Shockingly, some influential women also got cheated by investing lakhs in this fraudulent scheme.
On Sunday, a group of women approached the city Police Commissioner alleging that they were duped by a man—reportedly based in Solapur—who told them they would earn money by packing agarbatti (incense sticks). The accused, who introduced himself as Ajay Patil collected between Rs 2,500 and Rs 5,000 from each woman to create one ID and required each recruit to connect two more persons under a chain-marketing system. But, it is said that his true name is Babasaheb Kolekar who hails from Solapur.
Victims say the scheme operated on the familiar multi-level/chain-marketing model and targeted women groups such as self-help groups. Each woman paid an upfront fee of Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 as rent amount of auto rikshaw to deliver the incense sticks to home, which the women had to pack and return back.
They were told that they will earn Rs 2,500 each month by packing these incense sticks, sitting at home. Women were also lured that their earnings would increase by enrolling others. When promised returns failed to materialise, a growing number of women demanded answers and organised to approach authorities.
Laxmi Kamble, one of the women who got cheated in this scam, said “My husband expired recently. I came to know about this ponzi scheme from other women, when I needed some ‘Work from Home’ job to make bread and butter for my family. Many women got enrolled in this scheme due to mouth-to-mouth publicity. The police commissioner should take this case seriously, arrest the accused who fled to Maharashtra and help to return our money,” she said.
Govind Lamani, an auto driver said, “The head of this scheme, had hired around six to seven autos to supply the incense sticks home-to-home of the women. Even my wife was cheated by investing Rs 20,000 cash.
