In the guise of offering a “work-from-home” job packing incense sticks, a man from Solapur has allegedly cheated over 8,000 women in Belagavi, collecting nearly ₹2 crore before fleeing his rented home and office.
The accused, who identified himself as Ajay Patil but is reportedly Babasaheb Kolekar from Solapur, promised women a monthly income of ₹2,500 for packing agarbattis at home. He collected ₹2,500–₹5,000 from each participant to create an “ID,” claiming it covered delivery expenses. Women were also urged to enroll two others under a chain-marketing system for higher earnings.
When payments stopped and communication ceased, the women realized they had been duped. On Sunday, several victims approached the Belagavi Police Commissioner seeking action.
Laxmi Kamble, a widow who joined the scheme, said, “I needed home-based work to support my family. Many women joined through word of mouth. We want the police to arrest him and recover our money.”
Auto driver Govind Lamani added that the accused had even hired local autos to distribute incense sticks, giving the entire setup an air of legitimacy. “Even my wife lost ₹20,000,” he said.
Police have launched an investigation after receiving multiple complaints and are tracing the accused, believed to have fled to Maharashtra.