Mumbai: Man poses as Navy officer, cheats family in job scam

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The Ghatkopar police have booked a man for allegedly posing as an Indian Navy officer and duping a family of Rs 2.01 lakh on the pretext of offering jobs to two daughters, officials said. A case has been registered against Vinod Vishnu Gaikwad following a complaint by a 40-year-old woman who works as a bus conductor with the BEST.

Police said the accused approached the woman in early June 2025, claiming he was facilitating "offline recruitment" and promised clerical/office posts for her daughters. The job offers were allegedly made to the complainant's daughters, aged 18 and 19.

To build credibility, he allegedly showed what appeared to be official identity cards and appointment letters and spoke of formalities linked to recruitment. The complainant told police the accused then began demanding money citing various reasons, including medical certificates, uniforms, security deposits, hostel fees, and training material.

In June last year, the family allegedly made UPI transactions of Rs 2,01,400 to accounts shared by the accused. Suspicion arose when promised joining dates were repeatedly postponed, and the accused stopped responding to calls. The complainant realised she had been cheated after independently verifying the claims and approached the police.