Dharamsala, February 18
As many as 30 unemployed youths of Kangra district joined the Army, but little did they know that they were being “hoodwinked” and charged Rs 30,000 each for adorning the uniform.

With government jobs becoming scarce, these youths somehow managed to arrange the money in the hope of getting jobs in the Army as promised to them by a resident of Yol.

Though the state CID, which has registered an FIR against Sanjay of Yol, has verified from these youths that money was given for getting recruited in the Army, the police fears that the number of such youths could be higher. Eighteen of these youths belong to the Lambagaon area of Palampur and allegedly gave Rs 45,000 each for the job. Others belong to the Dhameta area in Nurpur, Sansarpur Terrace, Sunni village in Kangra and Shahpur. “We are investigating the case and there are chances that the racket also operates in the Sarkaghat area of Mandi district as some youths have got in touch with us,” a senior police official said.

“My younger brother Vijay and my first cousin Ashwinder learnt about this man who was promising an Army job for a sum of Rs 25,000,” revealed Ajay, resident of Sunni village in Kangra sub division. With at least one member from practically every Kangra family serving in the Army, the economy here is called “money order economy.”

Mr Vijay said the racket was being operated in a smooth fashion. A man impersonating as a Colonel would come to the house of the suspect and would get Army medical forms filled by aspirants after their height, weight and other measurements were taken. As word spread among the unemployed youths that they could get into the Army by paying Rs 30,000, they approached Sanjay.