The Khatodara police have booked a man who claimed to be a media professional for allegedly cheating 17 individuals out of Rs 2.44 crore by promising them jobs in the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) and houses under civic body housing schemes.
How the fraud unfolded
The scam came to light after the victims realized that no such recruitment or housing allotment existed. According to the complaint, Prahlad Patil, who runs a paper dish manufacturing unit, was introduced to Rajendra Chaudhary by his relative Dinesh. Dinesh claimed that Chaudhary owned a newspaper and that he himself was a media person. Chaudhary operated an office in Khatodara.
In January 2024, Chaudhary allegedly told Patil that he had contacts in the SMC and could secure a house for him under an SMC housing scheme. Since Patil wanted a house for his son in the Adajan scheme, he paid Rs 1.5 lakh as an advance.
Promises of jobs and more victims
Patil later informed his relatives and friends who were looking for jobs. When they met Chaudhary, he allegedly showed them a recruitment advertisement published in his newspaper and claimed he could arrange Class II and Class III jobs in the municipal corporation. He demanded Rs 16,700 per application form and Rs 15 lakh per job, asking the applicants to pay the amount within three months. A total of 16 relatives of the complainant paid Rs 15.16 lakh each to Chaudhary for the promised jobs.
Police said that between February 2024 and June 2025, Patil and his relatives collectively paid Rs 2.44 crore to the accused. However, whenever they asked about the jobs, Chaudhary gave excuses such as delays in document verification at universities.
Threats and discovery of fraud
When the victims began demanding their money back, Chaudhary allegedly threatened them. The complainants later checked with the SMC and found that no such recruitment drive had been announced.
Realizing they had been cheated, the victims approached Khatodara police, who registered a case against Chaudhary. An official from the economic offences cell said, “During the investigation, we have learnt that Chaudhary may have cheated several other people as well.”
