Aurangabad-based government contractor duped of over Rs 56 lakhs

Aurangabad: Two men hailing from Rajasthan have been booked on the charges of cheating city-based government contractor to the tune of over Rs 56 lakhs. The police said that contractor Vishwanath Ghuge has been working on irrigation and other government projects in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Goa since 1984.

In February 2015, he bagged a project in Rajasthan and ended up getting cheated by the supervisor who was appointed for looking after the construction of a bridge on Penganga River, costing Rs 3.15 crore.

According to the complaint lodged by Ghuge’s son Mahesh (36), a resident of Ahminsanagar in the city, the suspect father-son duo, hailing from Shivaji Nagar in Baran of Kota, were appointed as supervisors for the contract bagged by Ghuge.

An amount of Rs 2.82 crore was deposited in one of the suspects’ bank account against the completion of the work. In addition, an amount of Rs 10 lakh was deposited in the suspect’s wife’s bank account. Moreover, Ghuge even sent a truck, a jeep, power generator, a couple of concrete mixers, centring plates and jacks, and other articles to the tune of Rs 56 lakhs at the construction site.

Things turned sour when Ghuge reached out to the father-son suo seeking details of the amount spent on the project after its completion. This was followed by Ghuge seeking the construction related machinery and vehicles which, too, did not go down well with the suspects. He also alleged that the suspects threatened him with dire consequences.

Ghuge alleged that since October 2018, all the efforts to get back the machines and vehicles, apart from getting details of the money spent on project, have turned futile. In his complaint, he also cited the incidents when the suspects, with the help of goons in Rajasthan, prevented his attempt of retrieving the articles.