A retired soldier of the Indian Army was arrested by the police in Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad last Friday for allegedly duping aspiring soldiers “assuring” selection in army recruitment rallies.
The investigation, jointly handled by the military intelligence and the Uttar Pradesh police, began in April 2018 when the army received a tip-off about the retired soldier.
Soldiers are recruited through army recruitment rallies which are held across the country. “Subsequent investigation revealed that Havildar Anil Kumar who was staying in Old Grand Bungalow (OGB) inside the Faizabad Cantonment was cheating aspiring soldiers by assuring them selection in return for money,” a senior military officer who did not want to be named said. The officer said that the accused had accumulated more than Rs one crore through bribes.
The military intelligence informed the Faizabad police last December but repeated efforts to trace Havilder Kumar failed. The investigation also revealed that he had threatened people who had demanded their money back after they failed to clear the recruitment test.
Anil Kumar’s luck ran-out last Friday when the police arrested the retired soldier, his wife and his three sons.