Pharmacy College Principal Falls Prey To Fake Pharma Job Offer in Netherlands, Loses Rs 77 Lakh

According to police reports, the incident was initially registered with the Wakad police before being transferred to the Pimpri Chinchwad cybercrime unit for detailed investigation. Assistant Police Inspector Subhash Chavan confirmed that the victim, a resident of Wakad working at a pharmacy college in Maval taluka, was trapped through a known acquaintance, a Pune-based medical practitioner.

“The medical practitioner himself had been duped by the same group with the false promise of being made the ambassador of the company’s Indian branch. Since the principal came in contact with the fraudsters through him, we have also booked the doctor in this case,” Chavan told The Times of India.

The scam began when an individual posing as an HR executive of the purported Netherlands pharma firm contacted the victim in December 2024, offering him the managerial post. Later, another fraudster introduced himself as the company director, assuring the principal of a bright future and even sharing a fake company website to gain his trust.

Once the principal accepted the offer, the alleged HR manager demanded an initial transfer of Rs 1.3 lakh under the pretext of processing charges, promising that the amount would be refunded. Subsequently, the fraudsters kept raising fresh demands for money, citing visa fees, airfare, and advance salary payments in Euros.

Over the course of several months, the victim transferred a total of Rs 77.62 lakh to different bank accounts. The Pimpri Chinchwad cybercrime cell has now sought detailed transaction records from the complainant’s bank as part of the ongoing investigation.