WhatsApp chat records of an accused in the police recruitment scam have revealed that the mastermind was a Government Railway Police (GRP) constable attached to GRP Churchgate. The scam involved cheating unsuccessful candidates of money with false promises of getting them through.
Police said the name of Constable Vikas Algat came up in the chat records of Avinash Dhamse (24), son of a retired GRP Assistant Sub-Inspector. They said Mr. Dhamse had contacted at least nine people who were on the recruitment waiting list, and demanded ₹1 lakh for confirmed jobs.
After his arrest on June 5, the crime branch found a WhatsApp message from Mr. Algat with details of candidates on the waiting list. DCP (Crime Branch) Tushar Doshi said, “The candidate details are available in a semi-public domain, so we need to find out how Mr. Algat procured them and for what purpose. As he has obtained anticipatory bail, we will appeal for his custody to interrogate him.”
According to the police, Mr. Dhamse claims he approached candidates on Mr. Algat’s instructions. Mr. Doshi added, “None were cheated as most declined the offer, and the few who agreed couldn’t meet Mr. Dhamse.” The scam came to light after a waitlisted candidate from Pune approached Kalamboli police station and filed a case. She had appeared for the physical test on March 28 in which she scored 100 out of 100 marks, and 58 in the written exam on April 11.
