Self-help groups duped of Rs 8L

Aurangabad, April 1:

Waluj MIDC police have booked a fraudster for duping 12 women’s self-help groups of Rs 8 lakh on the lure of giving the members sewing machines, flour mill and other articles by gaining grants in Wadgaon - Cidco area. The police have arrested the fraudster Sunil Devrao Paikrao (32, Wadgaon).

Police said Rekha Kailash Suryawanshi (Cidco Waluj Mahangar) is a gram panchayat member of Teesgaon and implements several social projects through the women’s self-help groups. A few days back, she met Paikrao and told that he works for gaining grants for the groups through a trust New India Foundation and provides sewing machines, flour mills and others articles to the group members. He asked her to made self help groups of the needy women. Accordingly, Suryawanshi, established 12 groups of the women from Wadgaon and Cidco Waluj Mahanagar area. She collected Rs 1200 from each member to provide 300 sewing machines, which amounted to Rs 3.5 lakh. She also collected Rs 3,500 from 145 members for flour mills, amounting to Rs 5.07 lakh. Similarly, money was also collected from members for various other projects like online-studies for children, pico fall machine and other articles. Suryawanshi then transferred Rs 9,93,658 collected from the members on Paikrao’s account. Later, she also paid Rs 4,36,842 to him in installments.

Meanwhile, Paikrao organised a function in Cidco Waluj Mahangagar area and distributed sewing machines to 250 women amounting to Rs 6.25 lakh in November, 2021. Similarly, he distributed 5 mobile phones in January amounting Rs 32,500. He distributed the articles amounting Rs 6,57,500 to the self-help group members.

Later, he started ignoring Suryawanshi and duped the group members of around Rs 7.75 lakh. When realized that she had been taken for a ride, she lodged a complaint against Paikrao with Waluj MIDC police station.The police arrested Paikrao while under the guidance of PI Sandeep Gurme, PSI Rahul Nirval is further investigating the case.