PANAJI
He allegedly posed as a sub-inspector, maintained contact with police personnel up to the rank of Superintendent of Police and above, and took job seekers to politicians’ offices, cultivating an image of someone with access to the corridors of power.
Ajit Shankhwalkar, who is wanted in a fresh job-for-cash racket, is accused of exploiting that image to dupe people, including Manoj Talekar, who allegedly paid him Rs 27 lakh for a government job before walking into the Excise Commissioner’s office with a forged appointment order and claiming charge of the post. The accused, a wine shop owner, has reportedly fled to neighbouring Sindhudurg.
For years, Shankhwalkar allegedly passed himself off as a police sub-inspector, routinely wearing khaki trousers and police boots and occasionally appearing in a full police uniform. Official sources said his reported familiarity with police personnel, from senior officers to junior staff, helped reinforce the impression that he wielded influence within the system. “Whether those contacts were genuine or whether any police personnel knowingly assisted him will be inquired into,” a senior officer said. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant confirmed on Saturday that the police were investigating the matter in detail. “We will put the person (Shankhwalkar) behind bars, trace his links and seize all his property. If the SP is involved, strict action will be taken against him,” he said, reiterating his appeal to people not to trust offers of government jobs blindly. Shankhwalkar allegedly extended the same strategy to politicians’ offices, with sources claiming that he would accompany job seekers, greet office staff and walk inside alone before returning with assurances that their work could be done for a price.
“The visits gave applicants reason to believe that he had access to politicians and their staff. It is, however, not known whether he genuinely knew the people he appeared to approach,” the source said. The alleged racket came to light when Talekar walked into the Excise Commissioner’s office on Thursday claiming to be the new officer after the transfer of former Excise Commissioner Ashvin Chandru. Believing the forged government appointment letter to be genuine, Talekar entered the office, assumed charge and signed official papers before staff detected the impersonation and alerted the police.
The subsequent revelations point to alleged losses of Rs 1.32 crore suffered by the Talekar family. As per the FIR, Shankhwalkar allegedly collected Rs 27 lakh from Talekar, promising him the government post. He also allegedly induced the family to pay Rs 80 lakh for a Comunidade plot in Porvorim that was never handed over. In addition, the family reportedly paid around Rs 25 lakh in the hope of securing an accountant’s job for Talekar’s sister in the Accounts Department, but the promised appointment never materialised.
Shankhwalkar has been absconding since October 8, but before disappearing, he allegedly took Rs 5,000 from his wife and Rs 20,000 from a shop tenant. Police have frozen his bank account, while the process of issuing a lookout notice is underway. “We are examining the financial transactions and documents to establish the extent of the racket. We have also dispatched teams to places where he is suspected to be hiding,” another officer said.
