Case registered over fake mail intending to disrupt Army fireman recruitment in Bengaluru

The East Division Cybercrime police have initiated investigations to track down the person who attempted to mislead candidates appearing for the post of Fireman at the Ministry of Defence (Army), 515 Army Base Workshop (ABW), Ulsoor, by circulating fake emails claiming that the recruitment dates had been postponed.

The fraud came to light when one of the candidates approached the Army office to clarify about the mail he had received. According to the complaint, Col. Jyothirlingam S.S., security officer for the commandant and managing director of the Army base workshop, the recruitment process is scheduled to be held from February 13 to 15.

According to him, admit cards were issued to all eligible candidates, and an official email was sent on January 12 from the authorised email ID informing candidates about the recruitment schedule.

However, on February 7, a candidate, identified as Dilip Kumar Meena, informed a Civil Defence employee of the unit that he had received an email stating that the Fireman recruitment had been postponed from February 15 to February 22, citing technical reasons. The email was sent from a fake email ID closely resembling the official address.

Preliminary inquiry revealed that multiple candidates received the email. The police suspect that the email was meant to mislead the candidates and prevent their participation in the recruitment process.

Officials termed the act as a serious and deliberate attempt to interfere with the recruitment procedure.

Following the incident, the unit issued a clarification email to all Fireman post candidates, informing them about the fake email ID and reiterating that the recruitment will proceed as scheduled from February 13 to 15.

An FIR has been registered against unknown persons under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Earlier case

Earlier this week, the same office unearthed an exam malpractice, and 18 candidates were held for using electronic gadgets to cheat during a recruitment examination conducted at the 515 Army Base Workshop, Halasuru, last Saturday.

According to officials, the written examination for Group ‘C’ Lower Division Clerk (LDC) posts (2025–2026) was held on February 8. During the examination, invigilators and security personnel detected the use of digital and electronic communication devices by several candidates attempting to secure government employment through unfair means.

The candidates were found in possession of electronic gadgets inside the examination hall. Additionally, devices were recovered from bags kept outside the hall belonging to certain candidates.