In a joint operation, the Military Intelligence of the Indian Army's Southern Command and Pune Police busted a fake recruitment scam allegedly perpetrated by a 39-year-old Army deserter, officials said on Wednesday.
The man has been identified as Sandeep Gurav, a resident of Apte Nagar in Kolhapur. According to officials, Gurav had joined the Corps of Electronic & Mechanical Engineering in 2003 but was dismissed from service after he deserted the force for seven years.
Gurav had been under surveillance since April this year but suddenly went missing. Acting on specific input, the Military Intelligence of the Southern Command and the Pune Police launched a joint operation on Tuesday night and finally caught him on the premises of the Military Hospital in Khadki. At the time of arrest, he was found along with a woman, Ashwini Laxman Patil, officials said.
As per the Pune Police FIR, Gurav had allegedly cheated at least three prospective job-seekers of more than ₹32 lakh by promising them lucrative jobs as medical assistants at the Military Hospital. He allegedly took ₹12 lakh from each of the aspirants.
According to a complaint lodged by the victim, SR Wagare of Kolhapur, he was introduced to Gurav by a family friend who touted him as a very influential person with good connections for securing jobs. Wagare said at the time, his nephew Ajinkya Redekar was preparing to join the Army and asked Gurav if he could help. Gurav agreed and called them to Pune.
On November 26, 2020, Wagare, Redekar, and others met Gurav at the Military Hospital, and he extended the job offer to other relatives — Wagare's wife and her brother. Gurav claimed that some urgent vacancies needed to be filled at the hospital and, after they consented, took them to meet an Army officer named Suraj Singh. Singh assured them that the three hopefuls — Redekar, Wagare's wife Madhuri, and her brother Vishwas Chougule — would be given jobs, with a 'charge' of ₹12 lakh each. Wagare agreed and later arranged for the money — a total of ₹29.10 lakh — which he paid to Gurav in installments. Despite their persistent efforts, Gurav remained evasive and attributed delays to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In July 2021, Gurav called them and handed over their purported 'appointment letters' and identity cards, complete with letterheads, logos, and rubber stamps. Thrilled by this, the trio went to the hospital on July 12, 2021, to start their new jobs but were shocked when gate security informed them that all their documents were 'fake.' Realising they had been duped, they lodged complaints with the Kolhapur Police, Pune Police, and Military Intelligence of the Southern Command, prompting the authorities to launch an investigation and finally apprehend him.
Further investigations are underway.
(With IANS inputs)
