THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Military Intelligence nabbed a 27-year-old Tamil Nadu man here on Sunday for allegedly trying to scam army aspirants. P Madhumohan Raj, from Madurai, was taken into custody from near the Army Recruitment Office (ARO) at Pangode after being spotted under suspicious circumstances, Army officials said.
Raj, donning a military uniform, reportedly came to an Army recruitment exam centre on Sunday claiming to be part of the 26 Madras Regiment. Suspecting something fishy, the Military Intelligence officers took him inside the camp and asked him to prove his identity using Army telephone line, Raj failed in that. The army officers recovered 19 admit cards from him, of which one was original. Suspecting that he was a scammer involved in fake recruitment racket, the man was handed over to Poojappura police.
The police said the man was running a recruitment centre in Madurai. “Claiming to be an army man, he used to convince the aspirants that he could help them get a placement in the force in return for money. To convince them, he used to take their admit cards and enter the military installations posing as an army man. The gullible would fall for his trickery. Those who genuinely cleared the exams would also feel that it was his involvement that helped them pass the hurdles and would pay the money he demanded,” said Special Branch sources.
The cop also suspect of his involvement in a similar case registered in Tamil Nadu. Poojappura SHO Vincent M S Das said they hope to extract more details from the accused, who was in judicial custody. “Our preliminary assessment is that he is a con man, who makes a living by cheating army aspirants. We have charged him under relevant sections for cheating by impersonation. Since the matter is very sensitive, the intelligence officials will also be part of further probe,” he said.
Dubious ways
The man was running a recruitment centre in Madurai. Claiming to be an army man, he used to convince the aspirants that he could help them get a placement in the force in return for money.