BARC job scam busted

MUMBAI - Police Saturday claimed to have busted a recruitment racket promising jobs in the sensitive Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) near here with the arrest of eight people, including a contractor.

Police inspector S.G. Mullemwar said there was no security threat of any kind to BARC and there is no involvement of any official from within the country’s premier nuclear research complex.

He said the scam surfaced last Tuesday when some people approached the main security of the BARC Colony seeking entry as new recruits for class IV-category jobs.

However, a scrutiny by the security personnel of their documents, including appointment letters purportedly signed by BARC officials, revealed many errors and mistakes.

“They were detained and the police summoned to take over the case,” Mullemwar said.

Following detailed investigations, the police nabbed the kingpin of the racket, Mahendra Pawar of Satara district and seven others over the past two days.

All the remaining seven accused, who hail from Mumbai - identified as Amit Sawant, Mahesh Mhatre, Shyam Mhatre, Manoj Gujjar, Sudam Kenkar, Neelkanth Sawant and M. Pawaskar - said Pawar had promised them jobs in BARC on payment of Rs.40,000 each.

According to Mullemwar, the accused have been remanded to police custody till Monday and further probe is on.

The BARC complex at Tarapur in Thane district is around 110 km north-east of Mumbai.