A man from Thane district of Maharashtra was allegedly cheated of Rs 2.50 lakh by five persons under the pretext of offering him a job with the Department of Posts and also the Railways as ticket collector, police said on Tuesday.

Nobody is arrested yet.

The victim, a resident of Thakurli, used to work as a security guard. He came in contact with a man and his wife- who are prime accused- through his relative in August 2022. The couple initially promised him a job with Cidco if he pays them Rs 2.50 lakh and then with the Department of Posts for Rs 3.50 lakh. The victim paid Rs 1.70 lakh to the couple for the job in the Department of Posts.

The couple later told the victim that the job cannot be arranged for him in the Department of Posts but their friend in Nanded can get him a job as a ticket collector in Railways if he pays Rs 8 lakh, as per the First Information Report (FIR).

The victim paid them Rs 5.46 lakh. However, after he made the payment, the couple gave evasive replies. In December 2022, he was asked to fill out a form after which he received an email stating his registration was successful.

After a few days, he received a message on Whatsapp with a letter purported to have been issued in the name of the Chief Personal Officer, Railway Recruitment Board, asking him to go to Bhusaval in Jalgaon district for training, the police official said.

"When the victim tried to verify the letter, it was found to be fake. He was told by the couple to approach the Divisional Railway Manager's office to get the job letter. After a few days, he received a purported letter of appointment from Central Railway in January 2023, which also turned out to be fake," he said.

In March, he received another message from the accused couple with a "training letter" for the post of the ticket collector with the fake seal.

The victim then realised that he was cheated and demanded Rs 7.16 lakh which he had collectively paid to the couple, of which he received R. 4.66 lakh, but the rest Rs 2.50 lakh was not returned, the official said.

A complaint was lodged with the police following which a case was registered against five persons for cheating and forgery under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the official added.