Admission scam: Plausibility of story by complainant is doubtful, says NDA spokesperson

PUNE: The National Defence Academy (NDA), Pune, has issued a statement that raises question about the complainant being the victim in the admission scam case registered by the Pune police.

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Navin Tripathi, 22, the complainant, had allegedly appeared for the entrance exam in 2016, according to the police.

“The plausibility of the story by Shri Navin Tripathi is suspect, since he is personally involved as a would-have-been benefactor,” reads a statement from a spokesperson of the premier institute.

“We have collected the documents and are checking the veracity of the demand draft. The complainant is from Uttar Pradesh and we have called him tomorrow (Tuesday),” said senior inspector Sunil Pandharkar of Uttam Nagar police station.

NDA authorities involved in the admission process of the 143 Course found the documents submitted by Tripathi as fake and sent it to the police. The police concluded after preliminary inquiry that Tripathi was a victim and registered a case, according to the NDA statement.

“Since the documents in possession of Shri Navin Tripathi were bogus , the SHO Uttam Nagar, Police Station was informed in writing. After enquiry by the Police, they assumed that Shri Navin Tripathi has been duped and thereafter registered an FIR on his behalf,” the statement read.

In a manner of precaution for future applicants, the spokesperson has added that the helpline of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) should be consulted for any doubts regarding the admission process.

“Even the advertisement in media/newspaper says that a person needs to log in to Army/Navy/Air Force website to know about their SSB centre and date of interview,” read the statement.

The matter is viewed from the prism of national security, according to the statement. “Since this concerns the selection procedure to the National Defence Academy and thereby national security, it is important that the case is investigated to its depth to unearth real culprits,” it further reads.