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Sham event, invite for speech: How Army nabbed Shahjahanpur ‘faked brigadier’ in sting operation
It was clear on Aryan Verma's detainment that his ruse ran deep. While he was nabbed, fake government identity card was recovered from his driver.
A 21-year-old man was detained by Indian Army personnel in an elaborate sting operation for allegedly posing as a high-ranking military official and wearing a military uniform in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur.
A trap was laid by the Army personnel to nab the fake brigadier, who would allegedly travel around Shahjahanpur and nearby districts posing as a senior Army official in an Brigadier uniform.
How the accused was nabbed
The accused was identified as Aryan Verma. There had been several inputs about his movement in military uniform in and around Shahjahanpur and the Army authorities were tracking him since April, said officials, HT reported earlier.
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To nab him, Army officials laid out a trap for him in which, he walked right in.
Always up for presenting himself as a high-ranking military official dressed in a Brigadier uniform, Verma was invited by the Army officials, posing as civilians, to speak to young candidates preparing for recruitment examinations and motivate them. A fake program was also organised at the Shaheed Museum located in Shahjahanpur Cantonment area.
As expected, Verma showed up at the venue on Friday morning in his Brigadier uniform in an SUV, following which he was detained immediately. According to officials, his uniform was adorned with military stars and flags associated with senior officers.
Accused had a driver, two bodyguards
It was clear on Verma's detainment that his ruse ran deep. While he was nabbed, fake government identity card was recovered from his driver. The investigators also found that he would go around with two bouncers, whom he allegedly introduced as National Security Guard (NSG) commandos. Posing as a high-profile military officer, Verma would reportedly claim that he had been provided with special security.
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Along with his uniform, Verma also carried a fake pistol and an regimental cane to complete his ruse, all of which were seized from his possession. He even carried an identity card which purportedly had the seal of the dean of the Armed Forces Medical College. The officials suspect that the ID card is forged.
Upon recovering documents from Verma's possession, the authorities found out that he was 21-years-old and had been staying in Delhi. He had been preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), entrance exams for medical studies, and had allegedly failed the test multiple times.
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The motive behind Verma's act of posing as a military official is not known. An army intelligence team from Bareilly has taken over the probe and is trying to ascertain the same. They are also trying to understand the extent of Verma's ruse, how he acquired a fake ID and a uniform, and whether more people are involved in the act or not.
The accused is currently being interrogated by Army authorities, following which, his custody will be handed over to the police and an FIR will be lodged for a comprehensive investigation, said Superintendent of police Saurabh Dixit.
According to officials, Verma’s father is an officer in the horticulture department and his mother is a school teacher.
(With inputs from HT Correspondent)
