Pune's Economic Offences Wing Uncovers Elaborate Rs 6.7 Crore Drainage Repair Fraud
In a shocking case of financial deception, the Vishrambaug police in Pune have registered a formal cheating complaint against six individuals, primarily casual workers, for allegedly defrauding a 61-year-old retired additional director of a private company of a staggering Rs 6.7 crore. The elaborate scam, which unfolded between April 2024 and January 2025, was centered around false promises to repair the victim's damaged drainage pipeline.
Case Transferred to Economic Offences Wing for Detailed Investigation
Following the initial registration of the cheating case with Vishrambaug police, the Pune Police's specialized Economic Offences Wing (EOW) assumed control of the investigation on Tuesday to conduct a thorough forensic examination of the financial transactions and modus operandi. According to an EOW officer familiar with the case details, the trouble began when aging trees caused cracks in the old drainage line running beneath the retired executive's bungalow.
The situation escalated when a tenant renting a section of the property raised concerns about the deteriorating drainage system, prompting the homeowner to seek repair solutions from various civil contractors and workers in the area.
How the Multi-Crore Scam Unfolded Step by Step
The EOW investigation has revealed a carefully orchestrated deception that evolved from a seemingly simple repair job into a multi-crore financial trap:
- Initial Contact: A worker approached the retired director with an offer to fix the drainage for Rs 65,000 as labor charges, with machinery costs to be billed separately. The victim agreed and authorized the work to begin.
- Escalating Demands: After inspecting the site, the worker presented a dramatically inflated estimate of Rs 15.53 lakh, claiming additional expenses for pipeline relocation, power cable removal, Pune Municipal Corporation fees, water department charges, and material costs.
- Continuous Financial Extraction: The worker and his accomplices repeatedly demanded payments for various government department fees over several months, with the victim continuously transferring funds totaling Rs 6.7 crore to the fraudsters.
- Evasion Tactics: When the victim inquired about progress, the workers claimed they could only proceed after PMC officials completed work on the external drainage line. They then employed a series of elaborate excuses about family emergencies and deaths to avoid performing any actual repairs.
Fabricated Family Tragedies and Complete Work Avoidance
Police documents indicate that whenever the retired executive pressed for updates or completion of the promised drainage repairs, the accused workers systematically invented personal tragedies to justify their absence from the job site. One after another claimed that immediate family members—including parents and other relatives—had passed away, requiring them to take extended leave from work.
The suspicious victim conducted independent verification of these alleged deaths and discovered all claims were completely fabricated. None of the six accused individuals ever reported to work on the drainage pipeline despite receiving enormous payments, confirming the purely fraudulent nature of their operations.
Formal Complaint and Ongoing Investigation
After confirming the deception through his own inquiries, the retired additional director formally approached the Economic Offences Wing officials with a detailed complaint, providing transaction records and communication evidence. The EOW is now investigating the financial trail, identifying all accomplices, and examining whether similar scams have targeted other homeowners in Pune.
This case highlights the vulnerability of homeowners to sophisticated repair scams and underscores the importance of verifying contractor credentials and obtaining multiple estimates before committing to major home improvement projects.
