Pune: A man impersonating an officer in the army's intelligence agency has been apprehended for defrauding numerous individuals from various parts of the state. The suspect, identified as Ranjit Kumar Rajendra Singh, hailing from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, was taken into custody by the army's intelligence agency and subsequently handed over to the Wanwadi police.
The investigation began when Dhondiba Raghu Mote, a 21-year-old resident of Motewadi in Sangli district, lodged a complaint with the Wanwadi police station. Mote, along with his friends Sachin Kolekar, Malappa Pandey, and Sagar Mote, were in the midst of preparations for army recruitment. Their training often led them to the Race Course area on Pune-Solapur road, where they first encountered the imposter.
Accused Singh initiated contact with Mote and his friends in February at the Race Course ground, gradually building a rapport with them. Posing as an officer in the army's intelligence agency, he informed them of an ongoing army recruitment drive in Secunderabad. Singh managed to swindle a staggering sum of ₹12.80 lakh from the four aspiring recruits under the pretext of processing fees for their recruitment.
To further perpetrate his deception, Singh provided them with counterfeit appointment letters and identity cards. When the victims eventually realised the fraud, they promptly reported it to the authorities. Subsequently, the army's intelligence agency conducted an investigation, leading to the arrest of Singh.
A formal case has been registered against Singh at the Wanwadi police station, and Police Sub-Inspector Ajay Shitole is currently overseeing the investigation.
Police Sub-Inspector Ajay Shitole said, "Further inquiries have revealed that Singh targeted aspiring youths from Dharashiv, Satara, Kolhapur, Tuljapur, and Latur by promising them lucrative army recruitment opportunities. It is suspected that he may have defrauded numerous other individuals, as 16 youths from various regions across the state have lodged complaints at Wanwadi Police Station thus far."
