25 August,2009 08:45 AM IST | | Anshuman G Dutta
Jammu and Kashmir police arrested two jawans of Territorial Army with Rs 1.7 lakh fake Indian currency in Poonch
They say money is a cynosure for evil's eye but in an institutional body like Indian Army it was lesser known. On Sunday, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police arrested two jawans of Territorial Army (TA) with Rs 1.7 lakh worth fake Indian currency in Poonch.
The state police are investigating the matter to find out the source of the racket. Meanwhile, the army is also expected to order a Court of Inquiry (CoI) to look into the matter.
The two jawans, Inayat Ali and Mohammad Aslam, were part of the Home & Hearth battalion of the TA located in Poonch. The battalion is better known as the home of surrendered militants who are recruited in the armed forces.
"The surrendered militants who show zest for improvement and want to be part of mainstream life are recruited in Home & Hearth Battalion. While performing regular army duties, they also help in guiding the regular army troops to militant hideouts in operations," said a Ministry of Defence (MoD) wishing anonymity. The battalion is located in Poonch as part of 27 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) that specializes in anti-insurgency operations in the state.
Though army headquarter is tight lipped about the entire issue they said a Court of Inquiry will be ordered to investigate the matter. "Presently they are under police detention and our process will start only after civil police is done with its investigation," said a MoD officer.
The officials refused to divulge the background of jawans who were caught by the state police. The J&K police caught the jawans in a raid based on the information by intelligence. It is still unknown how the jawans procured the fake currency and to whom they were supposed to deliver it. "They are locals of Poonch and we are waiting to get more information on them," added the officer.
In the act before
Earlier, the Home & Hearth Battalion of the TA has been embroiled in the controversy as well. In North Eastern state particularly there were instances when the men from these units were found passing on tip off to militant outfits before the operations.
