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Army Intelligence, Pune police bust fake recruitment racket linked to NDA staffer’s death by suicide
The accused, a 33-year-old multi-tasking staffer (MTS) posted with an Army Supply Corps unit in Ahmedabad, was taken into custody on Thursday by Pune police and MI officials
In a major crackdown on an alleged fake recruitment racket, the Pune city police, in a joint operation with the Indian Army’s Southern Command Military Intelligence (MI), have arrested a civilian Army employee accused of cheating multiple jobseekers by promising them government appointments. The fraud came to light following the alleged death by suicide of a National Defence Academy (NDA) staffer earlier this month.
The accused, a 33-year-old multi-tasking staffer (MTS) posted with an Army Supply Corps unit in Ahmedabad, was taken into custody on Thursday by Pune police and MI officials. Investigators allege that he ran a network that collected between ₹30 lakh and ₹35 lakh from aspirants by offering jobs in the Indian Railways and defence services.
The case surfaced after a civilian employee working as a cadet orderly at the NDA’s Khadakwasla campus reportedly died by suicide on January 8. Police believe the staffer was linked to the racket and took the extreme step after individuals who had paid money for promised jobs began demanding refunds when appointments failed to materialise.
According to investigators, the NDA staffer’s role involved transferring portions of the money collected from victims at the direction of the main accused. Police also found that a fake WhatsApp list of “successful recruits” was circulated to create the impression that appointments had been secured.
An initial first information report (FIR No. 0046/2026) was registered on January 20 at Laxminagar Police Station under Sections 318(4) (cheating) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, against the arrested accused and his alleged associate from Jalgaon, who remains absconding.
The FIR was lodged by a 37-year-old optical shop owner from Yerawada, who stated that his cousin, the NDA staffer, had introduced him to the accused in August 2023. During a visit to the complainant’s home, the accused learned that the complainant’s wife, an electronics engineering graduate, was seeking a government job. He allegedly claimed he could secure her a sub-engineer post in the Indian Railways through a contact described as a “PA to a minister” at Mantralaya, following which ₹8 lakh was transferred via RTGS.
In November 2023, the accused allegedly widened the operation by offering jobs to three of the complainant’s cousins from Karnataka at ₹8 lakh each. Payments were made through RTGS, UPI and cash, including a ₹2 lakh handover at a bar near Nanded City. Police said around ₹19.15 lakh was collected from these victims. While about ₹5 lakh was later returned, the remaining ₹14.15 lakh was not repaid. Investigators said a fake WhatsApp “appointment” list was circulated to mislead the victims, according to the FIR, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times.
Police believe the scale of the fraud extends beyond the amount mentioned in the FIR. “He has taken ₹24 lakh from three candidates and approximately ₹30– ₹35 lakh in total from several others. More cases are likely to be added,” a senior official involved in the probe said, adding that additional complaints are expected as more victims come forward.
While the arrested accused remains in police custody in Pune, searches are ongoing for his alleged associate. Investigators are also probing whether any other defence personnel were involved in facilitating or abetting the racket.
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