BHUBANESWAR: City police on Friday arrested a 38-year-old man for joining Army by allegedly impersonating as his elder brother. Prasanna Kumar Behera had submitted his brother Pradyumna’s documents to join 120 Infantry Battalion in 2009.
Interestingly, Pradyumna was found to have enlisted into the Armed forces assuming his younger sibling’s identity. He is now behind the bars.
It started in 2000 when Pradyumna (43) used Prasanna’s identity since his own age did not meet the criteria to join Mechanised Infantry Regiment.
As Prasanna’s did not have his own certificates, he submitted the documents of his elder brother Pradyumna to join the 120 Infantry Battalion.
Part of this identity switch fraud came to fore when Pradyumna’s wife lodged a complaint against him at Dhenkanal Sadar police station in 2014 accusing him of torturing her.
She informed police that her husband had joined the Army impersonating as Prasanna. A marital discord had reportedly infuriated his wife who had approached the police. Pradyumna was also charged for allegedly assaulting his father and is now in jail after conviction.
Prasanna then came under the Army’s scanner and a court of inquiry was initiated. After being found guilty of committing the fraud, he was discharged from duty on Monday (February 15).
An FIR was lodged with Kharavela Nagar Police. Sources said police had a tough time establishing Prasanna’s identity as he had created all voter ID and Aadhaar card that bore Pradyumna’s details but his photograph. A police team visited Dhenkanal to probe the matter thoroughly.
During investigation, police found that Prasanna had identified himself correctly when his wife was admitted to a hospital for pregnancy.
He had also mentioned his actual name in his child’s birth certificate. Treatment record of Prasanna’s wife and birth certificate of the child have also been seized. Sources said Pradyumna was born on May 10, 1977, and Prasanna on July 4, 1982. Pradyumna and Prasanna have two other brothers too.