Shahapur Police have arrested a man who cheated hundreds of women and a few auto drivers by promising them home-based work. He fooled people by offering agarbatti (incense stick) packing jobs and collected money from them in advance.
What Happened?
The man pretended to run a women’s self-employment group called B.M. Group Mahila Gruh Udyog Sangh.
He took ₹2,500 from each woman, saying he would give them agarbatti packing work and later pay them ₹3,000 as wages.
But after taking the money, he did not give any work and never returned the money. Because of this, many women lost their savings.
Protest by Victims
After the fraud, hundreds of women held a protest. They marched to the District Collector’s office and gave a written complaint to the Police Commissioner.
In a meeting at Sai Bhavan in Khade Bazar last week, the women again requested police to arrest the accused quickly. This increased pressure on police to act faster.
Complaint and Arrest
A woman named Laxmi Anand Kamble from Khade Bazar filed a complaint on October 25, 2025.
Police found out the accused is Babasaheb Laxman Kolekar (35) from Jaloli village in Pandharpur Taluk, currently living in Pune.
Under the guidance of Police Inspector S. S. Seemani, the police arrested him on November 4, 2025. Further investigation is going on.
Investigation Team
The case was handled by PSI Manikanth Pujari, Investigation Officer Mrs. S. N. Basava, Manoj Bhajantri (CCB), and police staff S. M. Guddadigol, Shridhar Talwar, Ajit Shipure, and technical expert Ramesh Akki.
