Army recruitment scam busted in Ahmednagar

Fake Army recruitment scam busted in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra; accused cheated individuals by promising Army jobs, collected ₹8,30,000.

Another case of fake Army recruitment has been busted, this time in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra by the Army’s Military Intelligence (MI). One individual was arrested. The accused cheated several persons by claiming that he knew senior officers and would get them jobs in the Army as cooks, defence civilians etc and collected ₹8,30,000

The MI received information that one individual Vijay Bist was arrested from the local market by MI in coordination with Camp Police Ahmednagar who also registered a First Information Report. On interrogation he confessed to running the fake scam racket, an official said, adding that further details as to who and how many others are involved would come out in due course.

Atleast 10 individuals have been known to have fallen for the scam and the number is expected to go up.

“This is a classic modus operandi of offering position in the Army like cooks, gardeners, drivers and fleecing money. In the last two years, atleast 25 such instances where cases have been registered,” a source in the know said. There have been many instances where individuals were targeted at recruitment rallies or at coaching institutes, the source stated.

The Army runs advertisements and campaigns highlighting that only form of joining the force is through the recruitment rallies. Earlier, physical fitness was first checked and then a written test. However, that has been reversed in the last few years to cut down on the large turn out at rallies which many times create law and order situations. Now written examination is first held and those who clear it are called for a physical fitness test. The mode of recruitment into the armed forces has changed to the initial four year Agnipath scheme.