PUNE: The Kolhapur police on Friday arrested a man and booked his accomplice for allegedly running a fake recruitment agency that promised jobs in the Military Engineering Services and cheating a person of Rs 4 lakh.The police have seized documents and bank details from the arrested suspect’s office. Balkrushna Ramchandra Pawar, a farmer from Wai in Satara district, filed an FIR. The MI unit had received several complaints from Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur districts. “We carried out a joint operation on Thursday night and arrested Suresh Baburao Patil from his residence. We have launched a manhunt for his accomplice Sachin Kalantre,” sub-inspector Vishwas Kurne, who is investigating the case, said.They would first provide the youths adequate information about various defence establishments and their functioning to gain their confidence. Since they did not demanded a one-time payment, many aspirants could arrange for money and pay them in instalments, Kurne said.The farmer said he had paid Rs 11.5 lakh to Patil in instalments. “ The suspects would first make fake call and joining letters of MES in their office and take aspirants to other states. Upon failing to join the service, the suspects would return their money in instalments. They had returned Rs 7.5 lakh to Patil, but were not ready to return the rest. Hence, Pawar lodged an FIR against them,” a senior police officer from Kolhapur crime branch said.Superintendent of police Abhinav Deshmukh said some academies and agencies carry out illegal recruitment rackets. “Aspirants must not fall prey to their tricks or pay them any money,” Deshmukh said.Patil was produced in the court on Friday and remanded in police custody till Monday.

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