PANAJI
The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has sought urgent police action into at least six cases of alleged fraud involving a person/s impersonating a Board officer and collecting money in its name. The impersonator also demanded a bribe to avoid closure directions.
In a complaint to the Deputy Inspector General of Police and the Superintendents of Police of both districts, GSPCB Member Secretary Sanjeev Joglekar stated that operators of several commercial establishments reported receiving calls from a person claiming they did not possess the mandatory ‘Consent to Operate’. The caller allegedly demanded money through online transfers in exchange for issuing the consent.
While the payments were confirmed via GPay transactions, the amounts were never received by the GSPCB. The “Consent to Operate” certificates issued to victims after payment were found to be fake.
The complainant stated that the fraudulent calls have been occurring since last year, with the caller/s using multiple names and numbers — Sudesh Gawas, Sudesh Bhonsle, Suraj Vivek Pendse, and Siddharth Gaonkar, etc.
The GSPCB has sought a status report on the action taken in each of these complaints and urged swift measures to prevent further offences.
The Goa Police confirmed receiving the letter and stated that directions had been issued to the concerned police stations to submit action taken reports.
