A few days back, a brother and sister, Manoj and Manisha Talekar of Taleigao were duped of Rs 27 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, respectively by a person by giving Manoj a fake job order for the post of excise commissioner and assured Manisha the post of deputy director of accounts (TGE Oct 10, 2026). Ironically, they are children of a retired police sub-inspector (PSI) who should have known better that government jobs, that too at senior levels, cannot be ‘bought.’ He could have been cautious, checked the authenticity of the ‘offers’ and reported to his colleagues. They would have nabbed the fraudster who is still untraceable but believed to be somewhere in Sindhudurg. It is sad that the family lost Rs 52 lakh, the hard-earned and pensionary benefits of the ex-PSI. Even if the culprit is caught, getting back the money (entire or whatever remains) from the court will be an uphill and time-consuming task. Unfortunately, people fall prey to con women/ men despite warnings by the government and reports of daily occurrence in the newspapers.
SRIDHAR D'IYER, Caranzalem
