Rajasthan: Army Doctor arrested for extorting money from candidates

Jodhpur: A Lt Col of the Indian Army has been arrested by Rajasthan's anti-terrorist squad for allegedly extorting money from candidates of Army recruitment rallies to issue fitness certificates.

The ATS had unearthed a gang involved in extorting money from candidates appearing in army recruitment rallies by arresting four persons last month.

"During interrogation of the four middlemen, the involvement of medical officer Lt Col Dr Jagdish Puri came to light.

"Posted in Jodhpur, the officer was responsible for issuing medical fitness certificate for the candidates and this was the last process of the recruitment, Umesh Mishra, ADG-ATS and SOG, told media.

He in connivance with the four accused allegedly issued medical fitness certificates to more than 2 dozen candidates in the last one and a half year. He used to take Rs 35-40,000 per candidate for issuing the certificate.

"His job was to issue the medical fitness certificate, which is the last stage of the recruitment, Mishra said.

"The officer was questioned in Jaipur and was placed under arrest yesterday with the permission of the Army authorities," he said, adding, that the Army authorities gave full cooperation in the investigation.

Puri, who has been booked for cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy, will be produced before a local court.

Commissioned in the Army in 2006, Puri has been posted in Delhi and Bairelly before Jodhpur.

He was a member in most of the medical boards constituted for Army rallies for recruitment of soldiers held in Jodhpur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Sawaimadhopur, Alwar and Jaipur.

Following inputs from Military Intelligence, the ATS had arrested Arjun Singh, Nand Singh Rathore, Sunil Vyas and Mahendra Singh on May 23.

A sum of Rs 1.79 crore in cash and documents of four candidates attending a recruitment rally in Udaipur were also recovered from the house of Nand Singh in Jaipur.

"How many candidates in all were benefited by them is the part of ongoing investigation. Initially, the doctor has confessed to have benefited around two dozen candidates in one and a half year, he said.

The Army officer was produced before a local court in Jaipur where the magistrate remanded him to ten days of police custody.

"He will now be interrogated in detail," Mishra said.