Pune: A case of fraud amounting to ₹20.92 lakh has surfaced, involving a woman who was promised an internet service provider license in exchange for money.

The Bharati Vidyapeeth police have registered a case against three individuals, including a man and his wife, for orchestrating the scam.

The key accused, Sunil Namdev Gadkar, along with his wife Kiran and a third accomplice, allegedly claimed to be well-connected with high-ranking officials in the Mantralaya (State Secretariat) and misled the victim.

The victim, a 43-year-old woman residing in the Bharati Vidyapeeth area, became acquainted with the accused and her husband through a local gym.

During their interactions, Sunil Gadkar reportedly presented himself as a clerk in the Mantralaya, boasting about his connections with senior government officials. This led the victim to trust him.

Sunil Gadkar assured the woman and her husband that he could help them secure a Class C ISP (Internet Service Provider) license. Trusting his claims, the victim paid a sum of ₹20,92,399 to Gadkar, his wife Kiran, and their accomplice.

However, after receiving the money, the accused failed to deliver the promised license, leaving the victim with no legal authorization to operate as an internet provider.

As the victim grew suspicious and realized she had been deceived, she approached the Bharati Vidyapeeth police station, where she filed a complaint against the three individuals. The police have launched an investigation into the matter, with sub-inspector Nilesh Mokashi leading the case.

Further investigations revealed that this was not the first instance of fraud involving the Gadkar couple. Two prior cases of cheating had already been filed against them at the Vishrambaug and Bharati Vidyapeeth police stations.

In one of these cases, the couple allegedly swindled a woman from the Karvenagar area out of ₹38 lakh by falsely promising to secure her a flat under the MHADA housing scheme’s special quota.