Fraudsters dupe Army aspirants in Uttar Pradesh

 
Over 1,200 people were not only issued fake appointment letters on Union Railway minister Mamata Banerjee’s letter pad, but were also given a week-long training in Pilibhit town. The youths were made to believe that they would be deployed with the government railway police department.

The unsuspecting “jawans”, who shelled out Rs 25 lakh to the fraudsters, were asked to report at different police stations and railway divisional offices, police sources said here on Saturday.

The matter came to light on Friday when as many as six of them reached the Divisional Railway Manager’s office of the North Eastern Railway, carrying appointment letters.
The victims said they had applied in response to an advertisement for the recruitment of PRD cadets that appeared in newspapers in Pilibhit in November 2009.

A fitness test was conducted three months later and 1,220 applicants were called for training. The week-long training, including military training, was given at the Ramlila ground in Pilibhit. A grand “passing out parade” was also organised later.

The youths, who were also issued certificates of merit, were told that they would get Rs 305 per day. The victims also said they had paid thousands of rupees for getting “good postings”. During initial investigation, the police have zeroed in on one Shamsher Singh.