Latest news with #MaharashtraWaterConservationDepartment
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Time of India
Retired govt official loses Rs 4.2 crore to digital arrest scam
Thane: An 80-year-old retired official from the Maharashtra Water Conservation Department recently fell prey to a sophisticated digital arrest scam , losing Rs 4.2 crore. The fraud involved fake legal threats , impersonation of officials, and even a simulated Supreme Court hearing to coerce the elderly victim into transferring his life's to a complaint filed at the Kapurbawdi police station, the scam began on April 14 when the victim received a call from an unknown person posing as an officer from the telecom department. The caller claimed that a bank account was opened using the victim's Aadhaar details under the name Naresh Goyal and was being used for money laundering. The caller further alleged that an FIR was lodged against the victim at Kurla police station in Mumbai for threatening a shopkeeper, said a police escalate the fear, the call was transferred to another impersonator who claimed that a Supreme Court arrest warrant was issued against the victim and warned that he would now be placed under video surveillance until the court hearing. The scammers even arranged a fake video call simulating a court proceeding, during which a person pretending to be a judge pronounced a seven-day remand for the victim, the police fraudsters used the non-existent concept of "digital arrest" to intimidate the elderly man, claiming he was under constant surveillance and could not leave his residence without permission. This completely fabricated legal term was designed to isolate the victim and prevent him from seeking advice from family members or the following days, the victim received further calls pressuring him to transfer funds from his personal bank accounts under the pretext that the money was linked to suspicious activity. The scammers, claiming to represent investigative agencies, convinced him that the money had to be moved to govt-monitored accounts for verification purposes. They sent multiple bank account numbers via WhatsApp for these transfers, said the the threats were genuine, the retired official transferred substantial sums from his private bank accounts to the specified accounts. The deception was only discovered when the victim eventually informed his son about these transactions, who immediately investigated and confirmed that his father was made the target of an elaborate scam. A police officer said legitimate law enforcement agencies never demand money transfers during investigations and that "digital arrest" is not a real legal procedure. Citizens are advised to report suspicious communications immediately.
The Print
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Water conservation dept's long wait for more staff drags on as agri dept unwilling to give personnel
Till May 2017, the two departments were part of a single ministry named Agriculture, Soil and Water Conservation. But after its division, the agriculture department has shown reluctance to release even 2,000 officials, citing acute staff shortages. At present, the water conservation department has around 4,000 personnel and requires around 9,000 more, sources said. Mumbai, May 7 (PTI) Carved out as an independent ministry eight years ago, the Maharashtra Water Conservation Department is still waiting for the transfer of nearly 9,000 personnel from its parent Agriculture Department, which is reluctant to give away its staff citing paucity of workforce. 'There are 27,560 total sanctioned posts in the agriculture department, but only 19,000 are filled. If 9,000 staff members are transferred (to the water conservation department), the agriculture department would be severely crippled,' a senior official said. When the water conservation department came into being in 2017, BJP leader Ram Shinde, who was junior minister at that time, was elevated as cabinet minister to head the new department. The move gained significant attention under the incumbent chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, particularly due to his government's flagship 'Jalyukta Shivar' scheme, which aimed to improve water availability through artificial farm ponds, deepening river beds, and constructing check dams to boost water percolation. Despite the state cabinet's approval for transferring 9,000 officials, the decision was never implemented. 'After several rounds of talks, the water conservation department went for a compromise by agreeing to receive just 2,000 personnel, but even that has not been honoured,' an official revealed. With no clear resolution in sight, a senior official from the water conservation department indicated that the ministry might need to redraw its staffing structure and begin fresh recruitment. 'This will be a long process. Till then, many of the department's works could be severely impacted,' he added. PTI ND NP This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
