Lucknow, Jul 10 (IANS): An Army deserter and a manager of a defence academy were arrested from near Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Bijnor camp in Lucknow for collecting money from many aspirants on fake assurance of helping them in clearing mandatory medical test for recruitment in the Army.

The UP Special Task Force (STF) arrested the two accused, identified as the Army deserter Pawan Raj, a resident of Bakshi Ka Talab, and Santosh Yadav, the manager of Mission Defence Academy in CRPF camp under Bijnor police station limits in Lucknow on Sunday, on the inputs by military intelligence.

The STF spokesman said Pawan Raj had been at large ever since his role surfaced in compromising the Army recruitment process in January 2020.

He said Pawan Raj was dismissed from his job after he was court-martialled by the Army when it was established that nearly Rs 90 lakh was received in his bank accounts from Army aspirants.

Pawan Raj got recruited into the Army in 2017 and developed friendship with fellow army personnel Bala and Swapnil Santosh Suryavanshi during his posting at Army Medical Corps (AMC) in Lucknow.