Con man who offered Mantralaya jobs is a master at mimicry

During further inquiries, the police discovered that he was adept at mimicking several senior political leaders from various parties. They are now trying to find out if he has also cheated people into paying money by impersonating these leaders.

“We are probing whether Gade has indulged in more than one type of con job. Gade perfected the voices and mannerisms of political leaders after watching them speak at various rallies. Being a school drop-out, he was earning a livelihood by working as a porter and needed money as he had a liking for dance bars. He then started performing as a mimic in his native place and earned a name for himself. We suspect he also used this skill for criminal purposes and are investigating this possibility further,” said a Crime Branch officer.

The officer added that inquiries had also indicated that careful planning and thought went into Gade’s modus operandi. He first hit upon the idea of posing as a Mantralaya employee when he visited the office complex with some political workers from his native place and saw people coming and going in beacon bearing cars.

He then rented a white car and had it fitted with an amber-coloured beacon. Then he started roaming in his village in this car. Soon, the word spread that he had landed a high-level job at the Mantralaya and people began flocking to him asking for help, said investigating officers.

“Among the rural common man, one of the most successful jobs in terms of pay as well as clout is considered to be that of a personal assistant (PA) to senior members of political parties and Gade exploited this well. He has taken money from numerous young men by promising them jobs as PAs. The money that he earned was almost entirely spent on dance bars,” the officer added.

gautam.mengle@expressindia.com