Recruitment fraud: Army Office identifies 42 recruits enrolled using fraudulent methods

The Army Recruitment Office (ARO) Ludhiana has identified 42 recruits, who got enrolled in the Army in the month of September last year by allegedly using fraudulent methods. A gang of touts was arrested in Rupnagar, Punjab on January 19 this year which was allegedly in illegal possession of fake stamps and seals of tehsildars/sub-tehsildars of Ludhiana and Rupnagar districts.

These touts used these to verify the residence proof certificate of the recruits, an official statement said here on Sunday.

In the statement, Colonel Vishal Dubey, Director (Recruiting), ARO, Ludhiana said that one Civil Defence employee of the ARO office was also involved who has been handed over to police after an FIR was registered on February 1, 2019.

Dubey said during the detailed scrutiny of fake residence proof certificates of the fraudulent candidates, it was observed that these certificates were found to be correct during online verification.

To verify the same, the ARO Ludhiana carried out the verification of the suspected candidates by sending a team of ARO staff at the addresses provided in these certificates.

The same was confirmed and attested on a certificate by the respective house owner/municipal councillor/ sarpanch/MLA.

Col Dubey said that none of the addresses were found correct in respect of the fraudulent candidates. He said that it was observed during verification of the two candidates that their residence was same.

It came to fore that the house belonged to the touts kingpin former havaldar Mohinder Singh against whom an arrest warrant was issued on February 11.

The scrutiny of other suspected addresses was in progress by the ARO staff. Col Dubey has written a letter to the deputy commissioners of Ludhiana, Moga, Mohali and Rupnagar districts and to the police commissioner of Ludhiana and DIGs for proper action.

"It may be treated seriously as undesirable elements can get enrolled in the Indian Army using unfair means and cause disrepute/damage to the organisation," read a portion of the letter.

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He further stated that strict action would be taken against the recruits who got themselves enrolled in the Indian Army by using fraudulent methods.