The Crime Branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday arrested the alleged prime accused in the fake appointment racket in the Army after a long hunt of five years, a spokesperson of the investigating agency said. Abdul Hamid Dar alias ‘Zahid’, a resident of Kalantra village of north Kashmir”s Baramulla district, was wanted in nine FIRs lodged at various police stations, he said. He said the Crime Branch Jammu arrested the man who was presently living in Zainakote locality of Srinagar. “Innocent gullible unemployed youth were duped of their hard-earned money by the gang of fraudsters. The arrested cheat was not cooperating in the investigation of the instant case and was constantly absconding to evade his arrest by changing his locations frequently,” the spokesperson said. He said a written complaint was lodged in the Crime Branch Jammu by one Radhay Sham of the Kanah-Hiranagar area of Kathua district, claiming that in 2009, he came in contact with one Swarn Lal of Village Mahesha Chak who introduced himself to be a government employee and brother of an Army officer and told him that he can arrange jobs in the Territorial Army in lieu of Rs 1.5 lakhs per person. “As many as 12 unemployed persons were allured by the Lal to pay him Rs 50,000 per head as advance and Rs one lakh after getting appointment order and a huge amount was extorted by the accused person along with the prime accused Dar from unemployed youth at Hiranagar and Srinagar,” the spokesperson said. He said the arrested accused is a habitual offender and notorious criminal who operates with his associates by adopting the same modus operandi and a total nine cases are registered against the gang in various police stations of J-K. “More complaints are likely to come forth after the arrest of the prime accused,” the spokesperson said, adding the search of his other associates is continuing.
