Fake Recruitment Racket Exposed In Pune; Army Intelligence, Police Arrest Civilian Staffer After NDA Employee’s Suicide
Fake Recruitment Racket Exposed In Pune; Army Intelligence, Police Arrest Civilian Staffer After NDA Employee’s Suicide
Pune, January 30, 2026: Pune police, in coordination with the Indian Army’s Southern Command Military Intelligence (MI), have busted an alleged fake recruitment racket and arrested a civilian Army employee accused of cheating several job aspirants by promising government appointments. The case came to light following the death by suicide of a National Defence Academy (NDA) staffer earlier this month.
The accused, a 33-year-old multi-tasking staffer (MTS) posted with an Army Supply Corps unit in Ahmedabad, was taken into custody on Thursday. Investigators claim he collected between ₹30 lakh and ₹35 lakh from aspirants by offering jobs in the Indian Railways and defence services.
The probe began after a civilian employee working as a cadet orderly at the NDA’s Khadakwasla campus allegedly died by suicide on January 8. Police suspect the NDA staffer was linked to the racket and took the extreme step after candidates who had paid money for promised jobs began demanding refunds when no appointments were issued.
According to police, the deceased staffer allegedly helped transfer money collected from victims at the behest of the main accused. To gain credibility, the accused is said to have circulated a fake WhatsApp list of “selected candidates”, creating the impression that recruitments had been finalised.
An FIR (No. 0046/2026) was registered on January 20 at Laxminagar police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for cheating and common intention. A second accused from Jalgaon has been named in the case and is currently absconding.
The complaint was filed by a 37-year-old optical shop owner from Yerawada, who stated that his cousin, the deceased NDA staffer, had introduced him to the accused. Police said the accused initially took ₹8 lakh after promising a railway sub-engineer job to the complainant’s wife. The racket later expanded to include more victims from Karnataka, with transactions made through RTGS, UPI and cash.
Police believe the fraud amount could be higher than what has been officially reported, and further complaints are expected. Investigators are also examining whether any other defence personnel were involved in facilitating the scam.
