Palghar, Mar 1 (PTI) Four persons were allegedly duped of Rs 12.2 lakh by a fraudster who promised them jobs in the customs department, police said on Saturday.

Based on a complaint, the police in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Thursday registered a case under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code against the accused, Yogesh Manwar, an official said.

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He said the accused contacted the victims between 2022 and March 2023, promising them jobs in the Customs department, and they collectively paid him Rs 12.2 lakh.

To convince them of the authenticity of the job offers, Manwar allegedly provided fake IDs and forged documents, misleading the victims into believing that they had got the jobs, the official said.

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The official said the victims soon realised they had been cheated when the jobs did not materialise and they didn't get the money back.

A probe is underway, and no one has been arrested, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)