Man posing as army officer tries to enter India-US joint military exercise area, held

Rahul (22) in army uniform and Army CO (commanding officer) written on his car tried to enter Chaubattia, but army personnel there stopped him and sought identification documents, which he could not produce.

Updated on: Sep 16, 2018, 23:41:34 IST

Hindustan Times, Nainital | By Neeraj Santoshi, Nainital

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A man from Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut posing as an army officer was arrested on Sunday trying to enter Chaubattia area in Uttarakhand’s Almora district where a joint military training exercise between India and US had started.

Rahul (22) in army uniform and Army CO (commanding officer) written on his car tried to enter Chaubattia, but army personnel there stopped him and sought identification documents, which he could not produce, Virender Pant, senior sub-inspector of Ranikhet Kotwali police station, said.

The army personnel then seized the vehicle and handed Rahul to the police, he said.

Given the sensitivity of the matter, Pant said they are questioning Rahul on why he was posing as an Army officer and what his intentions were.

There were four passengers in the vehicle, who claimed they were sales tax officials and had hired the vehicle for sightseeing the Chaubattia garden. They are being questioned, but no FIR has been lodged against them.

Rahul has been booked under various IPC sections, including 140 (wearing garb or carrying token used by soldier, sailor or airman), and others related to cheating and forgery.

He will be produced in the local court on Monday, Pant said.

As part of the bilateral defence cooperation between India and the US, the two-week long joint military exercise began on Sunday. It will conclude on September 29.

The joint exercise will reportedly simulate a scenario of dealing with insurgents and counter-terrorism environment in mountainous terrain.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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