Pune, 23rd June 2023: A significant operation carried out by the Crime Branch of Pune City Police and the Military Intelligence (MI) of the Army’s Southern Command, Pune, led to the arrest of the mastermind behind a fake Army recruitment module. The arrest took place during the night of 20th and 21st June 2023. The accused, who impersonated an army officer, deceived numerous youths by promising them recruitment opportunities. He also fraudulently married multiple women.
Acting on precise information provided by the Military Intelligence, the joint operation successfully uncovered the fraudulent scheme operating in Sangli and Pune.
According to the Anti-Extortion Cell 2 of the Pune Crime Branch, the accused, identified as Pramod Bhimrao Yadav (27), was involved in providing fabricated call-up letters and identity cards. The investigation was initiated following a tip-off about Yadav, who hails from Amritwadi village in Jat taluka of Sangli district.
The Crime Branch, utilizing advanced technological intelligence, apprehended Yadav from his hideout in Jat, Sangli. Further investigation revealed that Yadav had swindled a woman of approximately Rs 16 lakhs. He had been extorting money from aspiring candidates, ranging from Rs 90,000 to Rs 4.5 lakhs, promising them recruitment in the Indian Army. Authorities have identified approximately Rs 46 lakhs in his bank accounts thus far.
Police officials discovered that Yadav recently entered into his fourth marriage in May 2023. Although he aspired to join the Army, following in his father’s footsteps as an ex-serviceman, he failed to qualify. Instead of disclosing his unsuccessful attempt to his family, Yadav pretended to be an active-duty soldier and operated the fraudulent recruitment module.
The actions taken by the Pune Crime Branch not only protected local youths from falling prey to this scam but also dismantled a network that posed a threat to the nation’s interests and the Indian Army.
An FIR has been registered against Yadav at Kondhwa police station, and the investigation is currently underway. The Crime Branch has urged individuals who have been deceived by the accused to come forward and contact the police.
The operation was conducted by a team under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ramnath Pokle, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Amol Zende, ACP (Crime-2) Satish Govekar. The team included Police Inspector Pratap Mankar, API Changdev Sajgane, Police Sub-Inspector Srikanth Chavan, Mohandas Jadhav, and police personnel Vijay Gurav, Vinod Salunke, Sangram Shingare, Ishwar Andhale, Saidoba Bhojrao, Amol Pilane, Chetan Shirolkar, and officers from the Military Intelligence, Southern Command, Pune.
