A city woman was defrauded of Rs 5.4 lakh by a man from Bihar who claimed to be a politician with “considerable clout” by promising her and two of her friends government employment. The Aliganj woman, Ranjana, said that she swapped phone numbers with the accused, Ajit Tiwari, after meeting him on Facebook. Tiwari gained the victim’s trust with his charming speech and claimed to be the president of the Loktantra Janata Party of Bihar. He pledged to obtain her a position as chairman in the Indian government’s department of women and child development and to get her two friends, Dharampal and Yogesh, appointed as NCERT’s secretary and the chairman of the Indian government’s Khadi Commission in Delhi.
Following his advice, Ranjana deposited Rs 6 lakh into his bank account. But Tiwari ignored her when he received the money. Ranjana became skeptical after receiving evasive answers and delays for months. Tiwari said he would repay the money when she wanted a definitive response in March 2021, blaming the pandemic for the hold-up. He withheld the remaining amount but returned Rs 60,000 to Yogesh’s account. According to Ranjana, Tiwari is now threatening to sue her. According to BN Singh, the assistant commissioner of police in Aliganj, a formal complaint has been filed and an investigation is underway.