Jail for man who stole his brother’s identity for home guard job
Since the convict cheated the home guard department by impersonation to obtain a volunteer position, the court stated in its order dated December 9 that he is not entitled to the relief of probation.
In a significant judgment, the judicial magistrate’s court convicted Dharminder Singh, a resident of Sector 49-C in a cheating case dating back to 2016. The conviction stems from a complaint filed by Ramesh Kumar Singh, the accused’s brother, whose identity was stolen for the job.
Since the convict cheated the home guard department by impersonation to obtain a volunteer position, the court stated in its order dated December 9 that he is not entitled to the relief of probation. He was ordered to undergo three-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) and a fine of ₹5,000 for cheating (Section 420 of the IPC), and two years’ RI and a fine of ₹2,000 for cheating by personation (Section 419 of the IPC).
The deception began in 1998 when Dharminder used his brother Ramesh’s matriculation certificate to secure a position as a volunteer in the Chandigarh home guard department. For nearly two decades, until 2016, Dharminder served under the name ‘Ramesh Kumar,’ providing false documents like affidavits and even an Aadhaar card in his brother’s name to solidify his fake identity. The fraud was exposed when Ramesh complained to the home guard company commander, Balbir Singh, alleging his brother was serving in the home guards using his certificates. He was discharged from the rolls of the Chandigarh home guards on March 31, 2016.
During the trial, the court reviewed the original enrollment papers and the subsequent evidence, including testimony from the chief electoral officer’s office. The court held that it was proven that the accused’s name is Dharminder Singh, not Ramesh Kumar Singh. He used his brother Ramesh’s name and matriculation certificate to obtain a job as a volunteer in the Chandigarh home guard department and served from 1998 to 2016. In this manner, he cheated the department by impersonating Ramesh.
Box:
Identity theft
Upon reviewing the relevant papers and the allegations, the company commander found that the accused, Dharminder Singh, was enrolled in the Chandigarh home guards on December 1, 1998, under the name Ramesh Kumar, son of Tej Bahadur Singh, with a birth date of March 15, 1972. To support his application, he had submitted an affidavit on November 12, 1998, to prove the authenticity of his identity, which was further attested by a witness (Jasvir Singh) and oath commissioners. The process also included a medical examination on November 16, 1998, and a successful character and antecedents verification from the SSP, Rupnagar, establishing him as a long-time resident of Khanpur village, Kharar, with no adverse findings. He was subsequently issued volunteer No. 565.
