A man has been booked for allegedly duping around 40 people to the tune of Rs 60 lakh by promising to get them jobs at government medical colleges in Maharashtra, police said on July 31.

A Thane city resident, who is one of the victims, approached the police on July 30 evening and said in January 2010 he had met the accused (age not known), who claimed to be working on a senior position in a government medical college in Kolhapur. The complainant, who runs a security agency, expressed desire to expand his business and Bhosle offered to help, claiming that he was an influential person and had contacts with prominent personalities, Thane Police PRO Sukhada Narkar said.

Lured by the offer, the complainant and some of his relatives and friends allegedly paid Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh each to the accused to get work opportunities at medical colleges in Kolhapur, Pune, Nagpur and other places, she said. The complainant alleged that the accused duped nearly 40 people this way to the tune of Rs 60 lakh, Narkar said. The accused also created a fake website and posted a list of selected persons, from whom he had taken money, and gave them bogus appointment letters.

However, when the victims did not get jobs, they realised that they were cheated, she said, adding that the accused also refused to refund their money. The complainant further alleged that the accused had earlier also cheated people by claiming to be a doctor and forging signatures of a senior politician, Narkar said. The Vartak Nagar police in Thane lodged an FIR against the accused on July 30 under IPC sections pertaining to cheating, forgery and criminal breach of trust, and also provisions of the Information Technology Act, she said. The police are investigating the matter, Narkar said, adding that no arrest has been made so far.