Recruitment on fake documents: Retd Army Colonel arrested

Nashik: A retired Army Colonel has been arrested in connection with the alleged bogus recruitment racket at the Artillery Centre here, police said today.

Colonel (retd) Sukhpritsingh Arjunsingh Randhawa (59), a resident of Noida in Uttar Pradesh, who is alleged to be the mastermind of the bogus Army recruitment racket, was arrested yesterday from Noida by a team of the city's Upnagar police station.

The personnel, who recently retired from the Army, will be brought to Nashik for further probe in the case, Deputy Commissioner of Police Shrikant Dhivare said.

Police had on July 11 arrested four men claiming to be Army recruits -- Balbir Ramchandra Gurjar, Sureshkumar Shivcharan Mahanto, Sachinkumar Kishansingh and Tejapal Motiram Chopada -- all hailing from Rajasthan, for allegedly submitting fake documents for joining the Artillery Centre here.

They were held following a complaint lodged by an Artillery Centre official.

A case was registered against them under sections 420, 465, 468, 471, 120-B and 34 of IPC, Upnagar police station in charge Ashok Bhagat said.

During interrogation, the four men confessed that they paid Rs six lakh each to get entry into the Army by using fake documents, police said.

Later, the Upnagar police arrested jawan Girirajsing Ghanshyamsingh Chouhan, of Rajputana Rifles regiment, posted in New Delhi, and agent Tekchand Meghawal, a resident of Rajasthan's Alvar district, on August 23.

According to Bhagat, seven persons, including the retired Colonel and an agent, have so far been arrested in connection with the case.

The interrogation of Randhawa is expected to throw light on how many youths were cheated and recruited in the Army on the basis of fake documents, he added.