# Two held, including minister’s relative, for Rs 2.17 crore Kumbh Mela fraud

2026-08-13T03:34:09+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

Two persons have been arrested for allegedly cheating a man of Rs 2.17 crore by promising him a housekeeping contract for the upcoming Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela. The accused, Tanay Mahajan (32) and Narendra Totaram Mahajan (51), showed the complainant a fake work order bearing the Nashik Municipal Corporation and Kumbh Mela Authority logos. Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan, who acknowledged Tanay is a distant relative, called him a 'gone case' and urged strict action. Police have registered three cases related to the fraud. Nashik DCP Kirankumar Chauhan said the investigation has uncovered a larger scam involving fake work orders worth Rs 591 crore, from which the accused took Rs 305 crore from multiple complainants. The minister clarified that Kumbh Mela tenders are conducted online and warned against offline offers.

## Coverage

- hindustantimes.com <https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/pune-news/two-held-for-cheating-man-of-2-17-crore-over-kumbh-mela-tender-101786547432514.html>
- deccanherald.com <https://www.deccanherald.com/india/girish-mahajans-relative-held-in-kumbh-mela-work-fraud-case-minister-dubs-him-a-gone-case-4109392>

This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-09-27T06:12:04+00:00.

Tags: fraud, Kumbh Mela, Maharashtra, Nashik, police, tender scam
Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/two-held-including-ministers-relative-for-rs-2-17-crore-kumbh-mela-fraud/
License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources.
Cite: https://indianopinion.org/two-held-including-ministers-relative-for-rs-2-17-crore-kumbh-mela-fraud/#story-in-brief

Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.

How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/