In a significant breakthrough, a joint operation by Military Intelligence and Maharashtra Police led to the arrest of Satyajit Barath Kamble, who had been impersonating an army major and running a large-scale fake recruitment racket across several states in India. The operation, which targeted a major fraudulent recruitment module, took place on Wednesday at Belapur, Shrirampur, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, following a trace from New Delhi.
Kamble, the mastermind of the scam, was orchestrating this elaborate fraud across Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, and New Delhi, in collaboration with accomplices including female touts. The fraud involved convincing candidates to pay between Rs 7 to 8 lakh each under the pretext of securing them jobs in the Army and Military Engineering Services (MES).
According to a senior officer, Kamble operated a fake army recruitment training camp in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, and Shrigonda, Maharashtra, where hundreds of aspirants were taken in for fake training. These candidates were provided counterfeit joining letters with forged signatures of senior army officials such as the Ex-Southern Army Commander and the Chief Engineer Officer.
Kamble’s fraudulent recruitment network is estimated to have generated approximately Rs 3-4 crore. The candidates were lured through academies and recruitment rallies, where they were assured of placements in the army after completing their training at these fake camps.
The police investigation revealed that the fraudsters had set up military-style camping stores and shelters in Dehradun and Shrigonda to house these candidates. They also issued fake identity cards identifying them as “undertrained trainees” for military jobs.
A significant part of the scam was run using fake documents, including forged appointment letters, and the scam was facilitated with the help of local businesses in New Delhi and Dehradun, which provided military-like uniforms and training facilities.
The authorities suspect that this operation involved a larger network of accomplices, and further investigation is underway to identify other members of the gang operating across various states.
Kamble’s arrest marks a critical step in dismantling the fraud, but authorities anticipate more arrests in connection with this widespread scam.