Pune man arrested for cheating people affected by Cyclone Nisarga of ₹18 lakh

Accused used forged documents to set up clinics, appoint staff

The Alibaug police have arrested a man who swindled ₹18 lakh on the pretext of helping the tehsildar of Alibaug rehabilitate people affected by Cyclone Nisarga, which hit Raigad district on June 3 this year.

Sajjad Sayed, who holds a PhD in psychology from a college in London, claimed to run an NGO called All India Rehabilitation Forum. “Mr. Sayed was one of the social workers who came forward to help us rehabilitate people,” said Alibaug telsildar Sachin Shejal, who filed the complaint against Mr. Sayed on September 11.

Mr. Shejal said Mr. Sayed won his trust by distributing masks, gloves, sanitisers and sodium hydrochloride powder at the tehsildar office to help combat COVID-19. He then offered to help rehabilitate Vetalwadi, an Adivasi hamlet in Khanav, and Mr. Shejal introduced him to its residents and the former sarpanch of Khanav gram panchayat.

Mr. Sayed, who hails from Pune, then set up a free medical clinic at Khanav and appointed a doctor and a nurse using forged documents. He also distributed free gas stoves to villagers, and free bags and stationery items to children at an ashram in Sagaon.

He went on to set up more clinics at Alibaug, Vayshet and Kurdus and offered to set up a COVID-19 war room at Mr. Shejal’s office.

Mr. Shejal said, “He started using his photo with me and other government officials to procure items. Medicines worth ₹16 lakh was purchased from Ramchandra Mhatre, a pharmaceutical dealer, and furniture worth ₹2 lakh from Heerchandra Bhojpi Purohit.”

He added, “I learnt that he had not been paying salaries to the doctors and nurses running the clinics. I grew suspicious and ran a search online. I found that no such NGO existed and Mr. Sayed had a record of cheating government officers. I reported him to the Alibaug police and they nabbed him.” Mr. Sayed has been booked for cheating, forgery and cheating by personation under provisions of the Indian Penal Code. He has been remanded in police custody till Tuesday.