The Pimpri-Chinchwad Police have arrested a fraudster for calling up educational institutions claiming to be a person attached to the Chief MinisterтАЩs Office (CMO) in Mumbai. Police have identified the accused as Rahul Rajendra Palande (31), a resident of Keshav Nagar, Chinchwad.
The CMO submitted a complaint at the Hinjewadi police station in the matter on May 21. As per a press release issued on Thursday, accused Palande was not holding any official position in CMO and was not working with any departments of the Maharashtra government.
However, claiming to be a CMO staffer, he allegedly contacted the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM) at Lavale and Bengaluru over phone regarding admission of some students.
In order to give an impression that he worked with CMO, Palande kept the logo of Maharashtra government as his profile picture on тАШTrue callerтАЩ and WhatsApp number.
He also allegedly displayed тАЬCMO, PRO Office, Eknath Bhai Shinde, Mumbai Mantralaya, Maharashtra GovernmentтАЭ along with Google location of Mantralaya in Mumbai, in his WhatsApp profile. After receiving the complaint, the crime branch traced PalandeтАЩs location and arrested him on Wednesday.
An FIR has been registered against him at Hinjewadi police station under sections 417, 419, 420, 467, 468, 469, 472, 488, 170, 171 of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act. Police said the accused is suspected to have contacted different educational organisations on the pretext of being a CMO staffer for admission of some students.
A court has remanded him to police custody till May 29.
