Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force on Wednesday arrested a fraudster involved in duping unemployed youth on the pretext of securing their recruitment into the Army. The man was arrested from the Cantonment area of Lucknow following a tip-off. The accused, identified as Alok Tiwari, a resident of Chhibramau in Kannauj district, operated under a fake identity. Five original mark sheets, one fake Aadhaar and one genuine Aadhaar and an ATM card were recovered from him.“Alok confessed to targeting young men who came for Army recruitment and were rejected in the initial medical examination,” said STF sleuths. He identified such candidates around recruitment centres and lured them with promises of clearing medical tests. He charged between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh from each candidate, often handling batches of 7–8 youths at a time. To manipulate medical outcomes, candidates with trembling hands were allegedly administered Durabolin injections about an hour before tests to temporarily suppress symptoms. Those with ear-related issues were taken for cleaning procedures to improve their chances of passing, said Deepak Kumar Singh, deputy SP, Lucknow STF. After these interventions, candidates were sent again for medical tests. Those who passed were not refunded any money, while those who failed were partially refunded after deducting Rs 10,000–20,000 to avoid complaints. To ensure victims did not back out or report the fraud, he retained their original mark sheets, effectively forcing them to pay the amount. He was booked under various BNS sections. Police advised job aspirants to remain cautious and avoid falling prey to such fraudulent agents promising guaranteed recruitment in defence services.
