Two held for duping Agniveer aspirants

Police have arrested two persons hailing from Satara district in Maharashtra for allegedly duping some youths in Palghar under the pretext of helping them in clearing Agniveer recruitment process, officials said.

The accused, Annasaheb Dhanaji Kakade (30) and Ganesh Kale (27), were arrested by the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar police.

“The duo posed as influential persons and assured the youths to ensure their recruitment in the Agnipath scheme of the central government for defence forces,” senior inspector Suresh Gaikwad of the Virar police station said.

The recruitment process was underway at the Jivdani Cricket Ground in Virar since November 28, he said.

“Kakade and Kale went to the ground and approached some candidates, assuring them to help clear the recruitment process. After receiving Rs 1,000 from one candidate as an advance amount, they asked him to get some more youths like him. But as some candidates soon realised that the duo was trying to defraud them, they lodged a complaint with the police,” he said.

After that, the police nabbed the duo from the spot, he said.

A case was registered against them under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 318(4) (cheating), 62 (offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) and 3(5) (common intention).

Following their arrest, they were produced before a local court, which remanded them in police custody for five days.