CBI registered the case in recruitment of religious teachers on Tuesday. (File)
An army investigation has blown the lid off a scam pulled off by a couple of its junior commissioned officers who took money to ask easy questions at an interview to recruit religious teachers, according to the army's complaint sent to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The army named a dozen army personnel in its complaint after its investigation that stretched for nearly four years found many of them had allegedly paid between Rs 3-4 lakh to get recruited as religious teachers in 2013. Religious teachers preach scriptures to troops and conduct various rituals at Regimental/Unit religious institutions.
The army inquiry also indicted five private persons including four residents of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, who allegedly received the bribes into their accounts on behalf of Subedar Mahendra Narain Tripathi.
The federal probe agency, CBI, registered the case on Tuesday.
It was around the time that Subedar Tripathi was posted with the Artillery centre in Hyderabad as a religious teacher that senior army officers received reports that he had been approaching candidates. He was to be a member of the interview board for the recruitment of religious teachers in September 2013 but was replaced in view of the adverse reports. The officer who replaced him was Subedar Satya Prakash.
But later, the army received a complaint that the Subedar Satya Prakash had been receiving bribes from candidates in bank accounts of some civilians. The complaint alleged that Subedar Tripathi had managed to rope in his replacement into the racket and were luring candidates, promising to ask them simple questions and giving the maximum possible marks at the interview.
The complaint was found to have been made in a pseudonymous name but as the army launched a probe, the information started to check out.
According to the case registered by the CBI, Subedar Satya Prakash's bank accounts revealed credits to the tune of Rs 14.5 lakh during this time.
Subedar MN Tripathi, the army complaint said, was the mastermind behind the entire racket of luring candidates, and persuading his replacement at the recruitment exercise, Subedar Satya Prakash to play along. It was Subedar Tripathi, the army said, who had roped in his neighbour and property dealer in Gorakhpur to accept the bribes on his behalf, usually made through cheques.
The army complaint, sending by Major General N Srinivas Rao, the General Officer Commanding, said the individuals had been attached with the artillery centre pending disciplinary action.