Indian army fears fake documents open door to enemy

The Indian army is battling against the rising use of fake documents that enemy agents may use to infiltrate the military.

Officials fear that without improved detection methods enemy agents could join the Indian army and harm the country from within. The Army Recruitment Office (ARO) has highlighted the trend - which is focused on coastal regions - to the government and police to raise awareness.

In October for example a computer engineer arrested after posing as a captain and gaining access to a number of high-security army installations.

"This is a serious matter. Strong action would be taken to not only to eliminate the menace but also punish the culprits. It will be investigated if there is a nexus between government officials and the touts and none will be spared,” RDC Arvind Padhee told The New Indian Express.

In December ARO officials sent 47 permanent resident certificates to the civil administration for verification. The army is calling on staff at the civil branch to go beyond basic document checks and look into the antecedents of anyone suspected of using fake forms.

Looking beyond the documents will help the army avoid being tricked by particularly high-quality fakes while it develops improved detection techniques.