Mastermind of fake Indian Territorial Army recruitment racket arrested

A 39-year-old mastermind of a fake Indian Territorial Army recruitment racket was arrested from Uttarakhand's Haridwar, police said Saturday.

Yogender alias Bunty, a resident of Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, was heading an inter-state racket that was cheating the unemployed rural youths on the pretext of arranging jobs in the Army, the Indian Railways and the ONGC, they said.

On May 3, one Sudheer, a resident of Charkhi Dadri, registered a complaint alleging that that he was cheated of Rs 5 lakh by the gang for a job in the Army, said Ram Gopal Naik, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime).

The gang used to take fake physical tests in Army grounds and fake medical examination in Base Hospital, Delhi Cantt area, along with the fake interviews, Naik added.

They would also give fake joining letters, he said.

Police zeroed in on the gang and arrested its five members -- Amit Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Pradeep, Devender and Sandeep. During their interrogation they disclosed that Yogender was the mastermind of the racket, Naik said.

Police also got to know that the racket had serving and retired Army personnel as its members, the DCP added.

Yogender was previously involved in several offences, he said.

A reward of Rs 50,000 was declared on his arrest. Following an input, he was nabbed from Haridwar on Thursday. Nine mobile phones, 19 SIM cards and a car were recovered from his possession, Naik said.