A shocking case of fraud has come to light in Kondagaon district of Chhattisgarh, where a senior BJP leader was defrauded of ₹41.30 lakhs under the pretext of getting him the post of Chairman in the Mineral Development Corporation. This fraud was not committed by an ordinary conman, but by a woman and her accomplice in a planned manner. The victim leader filed a police complaint when he suspected he had been cheated after not receiving the promised position.
Woman Claimed to be an RSS Official
The complainant, Santosh Kataria, who is a core group member of the BJP's Kondagaon district unit and has also been the district president of undivided Madhya Pradesh in North Bastar, told the police that on August 12, 2024, a woman named Kajal Joshi contacted him. She identified herself as a resident of Nagpur and Delhi and claimed to be an office bearer of the BJP and RSS. Moreover, the woman said that she had good relations with Union ministers and senior leaders of the Chhattisgarh government, and that she could get him the post of Chairman in the Mineral Development Corporation.
Kataria stated in the FIR that the woman demanded ₹3 crore in return, but he expressed his inability to pay such a large sum. After this, the negotiation was finalized at ₹20 lakhs, and on August 20, Kataria handed over this amount in cash to Kajal Joshi in Delhi.
Money Sent Via QR Code
This fraud script did not end there. According to Kataria, on September 19, Kajal Joshi sent him a QR code and asked for more money. He transferred ₹1.3 lakhs more on this. After this, in October 2024, ₹20 lakhs in cash were given to the woman and her accomplice, Rajiv Soni, at a hotel in Raipur. But even after the passage of time, when no appointment was made and the accused started procrastinating, Kataria realized that he had been defrauded.
Police Engaged in Investigation
In the case registered at Keshkal police station in Kondagaon, the police have registered a case of fraud against Kajal Joshi alias Komal Ingule and Rajiv Soni under the relevant sections of the IPC. The police say that the entire matter is being investigated seriously and the role of both the accused is being investigated.
This incident has once again raised the question of how people fall into the trap of false claims in the greed for getting a position, and how fraudsters take advantage of this weakness. The police investigation will now determine how far the links of this gang are connected and how many people have been defrauded in this way before.
