Panvel: Two brothers from Chembur were allegedly defrauded of Rs 8.71 lakh by a conman who promised them government jobs. The accused, Sandeep Gaikwad from Khanda Colony, posed as having high-level contacts in the Mantralaya. In 2020, he introduced the victims, Prathamesh and Prajyot, to an associate, Gulab Jha, who impersonated a government official.

Gaining their trust, Gaikwad instructed the brothers to fill out recruitment forms and gradually extracted large sums of money under the pretext of securing them jobs. When no jobs materialised and the brothers demanded a refund, Gaikwad began evading them.

Realising they had been deceived, they lodged a complaint at Khandeshwar police station. A case has been registered against both Gaikwad and Jha, who are absconding. Police have launched a search operation.