Sunil Lohan
A job racket promising appointments as Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs) in the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department has come to light after a senior manager of a private pharmaceutical company allegedly lost Rs.26 lakh to fraudsters.
According to a complaint filed at the Vidhana Soudha Police Station,the victim,G.K.Raghunandan (36),a senior manager at a private pharmaceutical company in Whitefield,alleged that the accused convinced him they could secure a PDO post through their political and bureaucratic contacts.
Senior officer said the prime accused,Santosh Hosamani,came into contact with Raghunandan in December 2024 and allegedly claimed to be working in the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) with strong links to KPSC officials.
He initially demanded Rs.50 lakh for the job and allegedly collected Rs.26 lakh in instalments.
When the appointment order did not materialise,the complainant questioned the accused.To keep him convinced,another person identifying himself as”Rao” allegedly called Raghunandan several times from a landline number purportedly linked to the KPSC office and assured him that the PDO appointment was confirmed.
However,after several months without any appointment order and when Santosh allegedly stopped responding to calls,Raghunandan realised he had been cheated and approached the police.
Based on the complaint,Vidhana Soudha police have registered a case against Santosh Hosamani,Rao, Mahesh Kumar and Basavaraj on charges of cheating and have launched an investigation.
