Man Posing As Army Officer To Scam Jobseekers Arrested In UP, Fake IDs Recovered

In a major breakthrough, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force has arrested the mastermind of a fraudulent gang that duped jobseekers by impersonating as an Indian Army officer. 

Speaking with NDTV, a UP STF officer said that the accused, Dharmendra Pandey, was apprehended on the night of 30th March from a rented flat in Vibhuti Enclave, Bhoothnath Colony, under Bhelupur Police Station in Varanasi.

Pandey, a resident of Kaili, Chandauli, had been operating a sophisticated scam targeting unemployed youth across the region. He would convince aspirants of guaranteed placements in the Army, Railways, Education Department, and various paramilitary forces, while collecting large sums of money as upfront fees.

The STF recovered an extensive array of fraudulent documents from Pandey's possession, including multiple Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, driving licenses with different addresses, ATM cards, high school mark sheets, and fake Army ID cards. Authorities confirmed that he had used these counterfeit documents to open several bank accounts to deposit the money collected from victims.

The officer added the operation was based on intelligence inputs about gangs cheating people in the guise of providing jobs. "Coordinated efforts with Military Intelligence also helped in tracking Pandey's movements, ultimately leading to his arrest."

During interrogation, Dharmendra Pandey admitted to being a habitual fraudster. He revealed the modus operndi he used to gain the trust of victims by posing as an Army officer and presenting forged credentials. When job aspirants demanded refunds after failing to secure employment, he misled them with promises of placement in other departments.

A case has been formally registered at Bhelupur Police Station under sections 319(2), 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2), and 337 of the BNS. 

The district police in coordination with the state STF is taking further legal action.