By Shreyanka Nandan
In a major crackdown on a fake Army recruitment scam, the Military Intelligence (MI) unit of the Army’s Southern Command, along with Pune Police, arrested a man posing as an Army officer. The accused, Suryawanshi Nitin Balaji from Latur district, was caught near the Southern Command headquarters in Pune on Saturday evening.
According to police reports, Suryawanshi had been running a scam targeting young job seekers, especially those from poor backgrounds in Maharashtra and Karnataka, and promising them guaranteed jobs in the Indian Army. In place of the job, each candidate was charged with rupees 3 lakh. As per the report, through this scheme, he managed to secure rupees 10 to 15 lakh.
The scam unfolded after a 23 year old boy from Nanded district reported the police. The boy belonging to a farming family was preparing for police and army recruitment exams and met the accused at the Latur railway station. The accused Suryawanshi, pretended to be an Army Officer and assured the boy that he held the power to secure his selection in Army. Thus, the victim handed over rupees 1.75 lakh through cash and UPI transactions.
After receiving the amount, the accused started avoiding the boy’s calls and messages. Realizing he had been cheated, the victim thought of taking action and thus, filed a case against the accused.
Following the complaint, immediately the Military Intelligence unit started tracking the activities of Suryawanshi and collected evidence against him. The team then informed the Bundgarden police station and jointly started keeping an eye on him. Saturday at around 5 PM, the joint action of MI and Pune Police finally caught Suryawanshi near the Southern Command Headquarters.
The authorities during the investigation found he had been manipulating multiple young aspirants using similar tactics. Thus, this case reminds us that the Government job recruitment process follows strict rules and guidelines, especially in the Indian Army. The authorities especially warned the job seekers to be cautious and report immediately to the police if they find any suspicious recruitment offers.
The police have encouraged other victims of this scam to come forward and file complaints as the investigation is still ongoing and yet to determine the other victims. Police are investigating and in search of other people involved in this scam.