NDA Staffer's Suicide Unravels Fake Recruitment Racket: Defence Employee Arrested
What was initially believed to be a tragic suicide driven by financial distress has now been exposed as a sophisticated fake recruitment scam involving coveted positions in the Railways and the National Defence Academy (NDA). A joint investigation by the Military Intelligence (MI) unit of the Indian Army's Southern Command and the Pune city police has revealed startling connections between the deceased staffer and individuals allegedly operating a fraudulent job racket.
From Suicide Probe to Recruitment Scam Investigation
The case began on January 8, when Mayur Chandrakant Pawar, a 32-year-old cadet orderly at the NDA in Khadakwasla, was found dead on the academy campus. Initial investigations, based on a purported suicide note, pointed toward financial issues as the likely cause. However, as authorities dug deeper, a more complex and disturbing picture emerged.
On January 20, Dinesh Rathod, a 37-year-old shop owner from Ram Nagar, Yerwada, and a relative of Pawar, filed a First Information Report (FIR) at the Lakshmi Nagar police station in Pune. This complaint would become the cornerstone of the unfolding investigation into an alleged recruitment fraud.
The Elaborate Job Fraud Scheme
According to the FIR, the scam traces back to August 2023, when Pawar, accompanied by his friend Swapnil Murlidhar Gaikwad, visited Rathod's home. Gaikwad, a former NDA staffer then posted at a defence establishment in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, allegedly offered Rathod's wife—an electronic engineering graduate—a position as a sub-engineer in the Railways.
The offer was facilitated through another individual, Sagar Digambar Patil, whom Gaikwad claimed worked as a personal assistant to a minister in Mantralaya. Patil reportedly assured Rathod over the phone that he could secure the job within six months for a payment of Rs 8 lakh. Trusting the connection through Pawar and Gaikwad's NDA association, Rathod arranged the funds with family help.
The financial transactions unfolded as follows:
- Rathod deposited Rs 8 lakh into Pawar's bank account, instructing him to transfer it to Gaikwad.
- Pawar, expressing caution, advised Rathod to reconsider, but the latter proceeded based on trust.
- Pawar then transferred Rs 5.5 lakh to Sagar Patil's account as per Gaikwad's directions.
Subsequently, Gaikwad allegedly promised more Railway jobs, leading Rathod and his two cousins to pay an additional Rs 19.15 lakh through cash and bank transfers. However, none of the promised materialized.
Unraveling the Deception
The fraud began to unravel when Gaikwad sent Pawar a WhatsApp list claiming to contain names of individuals recruited into the NDA. Pawar forwarded this list to Rathod, who verified it and discovered that none of the listed persons had actually been recruited.
Confronted, Rathod traveled to Gaikwad's workplace in Ahmedabad and spoke to his senior officers. Gaikwad returned Rs 5 lakh but failed to repay the remaining Rs 14.15 lakh. Following Pawar's suicide, Rathod filed an FIR against Gaikwad and Patil under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections for cheating and common intention.
Arrests and Ongoing Investigations
In a significant development, Swapnil Gaikwad was arrested by authorities and brought to Pune from Ahmedabad on Thursday for further questioning. MI officials confirmed that Gaikwad's transfer from NDA, Khadakwasla, to Ahmedabad had been approved by Army authorities in February 2024.
Preliminary investigations by the MI indicate that Gaikwad and Patil have cheated at least three candidates, accepting approximately Rs 24 lakh under false pretenses of securing government jobs. A search is currently underway for Sagar Patil, who hails from Jalgaon.
Authorities are now focusing on several key aspects:
- Determining whether more individuals, including other defence employees, are involved in the alleged scam.
- Investigating the possibility of additional victims beyond the currently identified cases.
- Examining the full extent of the fraudulent operations and their modus operandi.
This case highlights the vulnerabilities in recruitment processes and the devastating consequences of such scams, which have now been linked to a tragic loss of life. The joint efforts of Military Intelligence and Pune police continue as they work to uncover the complete network behind this fake job racket.
