Sawant is alleged to have spent some time in the Pathankot area after his retirement and cheated the Army job aspirants out of money. (Representational/File)The Pune police on Tuesday arrested a 60-year-old retired defence employee wanted in Punjab for allegedly posing as an Army colonel and cheating youths after promising them Army jobs.
The action by Unit 4 of the Pune city crime branch was based on an input given by the Army’s Military Intelligence, said police officials. The suspect, identified as Sanjay Raghunath Sawant, had worked as a tradesman with a defence formation at Dehu Road in Pune, Maharashtra, in the past and retired two years ago. He lives in the Pimple Gurav area and drives an autorickshaw to earn a living, they added.
The Pathankot police in Punjab are investigating a 2021 case in which several Army job aspirants were cheated out of large sums of money by a man posing as a colonel.
According to crime branch officials, after they received information from the Military Intelligence that the suspect was in Pune, a team led by inspector Jayant Rajurkar from Unit 4 launched an inquiry. The officials said it came to light that the suspect had worked as a tradesman–a civilian defence employee– at a defence unit in Dehu Road and drove an autorickshaw now. In the course of the investigation, police checked around 200 autorickshaws in the area and finally got leads on Sawant.
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In a joint action with the Pathankot police and Military Intelligence sleuths, the Pune police arrested Sawant. He has been handed over to the Pathankot police for further investigation. In 2021, Sawant is alleged to have spent some time in the Pathankot area after his retirement and cheated the Army job aspirants out of money.
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First published on: 10-08-2022 at 04:41:01 pm