For 4 Months, This Man From UP "Served" In The Army. He'd Been Tricked

In a case that raises questions of national security, Manoj Kumar, who believed he'd been hired thanks to a sepoy, did sentry duty at Punjab army camp

A round of training, four months of service and a regular salary made Manoj Kumar believe he was actually in the army. He had an appointment letter and an ID, too — except that all of it was fake, and he'd been tricked by an army jawan, who has now been arrested.

In a case that raises questions of national security, Manoj Kumar, who believed he'd been recruited thanks to sepoy Rahul Singh, did sentry duty at an army camp in Punjab's Pathankot for four months since July. Manoj Kumar said he paid Rahul Singh Rs 8 lakh for the job. Both natives of western UP, they'd met at a recruitment rally in 2019 where Manoj Kumar was rejected while Rahul Singh got the job.

Rahul Singh quit the army last month citing ill health. This was around the same time that Manoj Kumar was told by some jawans that his papers were fake. Military Intelligence was on the case since.

On Tuesday, police from Meerut arrested Rahul Singh, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, on Tuesday along with a man named Bittu, who had posed as a senior army officer, while another accomplice, Raja Singh, is on the run. Further details about Bittu and Raja Singh were not available in the FIR. All three have been accused of cheating, forgery, assault, and criminal conspiracy, among other charges.