Pune: Naval Intelligence, Naval Police Bust Rs 25.25 Lakh Navy Job Scam; Serial Imposter Arrested Near INS Shivaji in Lonavala

Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 9th July 2026: A joint operation by Naval Intelligence and the Naval Police has led to the arrest of a 32-year-old man accused of running a fake Indian Navy recruitment racket and allegedly cheating job aspirants of more than ₹25.25 lakh by falsely promising them employment in the Indian Navy.

The accused, identified as Aakash Kashinath Dange, a resident of Badali Budruk in Phaltan taluka of Satara district, was apprehended on July 8 near INS Shivaji in Bhushi, Lonavala, during a carefully planned sting operation. He was later handed over to the Lonavala City Police Station (Pune Rural Police), which registered an FIR on Thursday.

According to police, the complainant in the case is an employee residing at INS Shivaji, Lonavala.
Accused Allegedly Posed as a Naval Officer
Investigators said Dange allegedly impersonated an Indian Navy officer despite having no affiliation with the armed forces. He reportedly wore Indian Navy uniforms and used photographs of himself dressed in naval attire on his mobile phone to convince job seekers that he was serving in the Navy and had the authority to secure recruitment.

Using this false identity, he allegedly promised employment in the Indian Navy and collected money from aspirants under the pretext of recruitment and processing charges.

Police said five victims collectively transferred ₹25.25 lakh to the accused through online payments after believing his assurances.

The victims are from Satara, Sangli, Jalna and Kolhapur.

However, despite collecting the money, the accused allegedly failed to provide them with jobs, resulting in the fraud.
Sting Operation Near INS Shivaji
According to authorities, the operation was launched after Naval Intelligence intercepted suspicious activities involving the misuse of the name of INS Shivaji, one of the Indian Navy’s premier training establishments.

A joint team of Naval Intelligence and Naval Police laid a trap near the naval base on July 8 and nabbed Dange while he was allegedly attempting to lure another group of defence aspirants.

The accused and the seized digital evidence were subsequently handed over to the Lonavala City Police for further investigation.
Fake Emails and Forged Recruitment Documents
Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused allegedly created deceptive email addresses to impersonate official Indian Navy communication channels.

Among the email IDs allegedly used were:
[email protected], designed to resemble an official government National Informatics Centre (NIC) domain.
[email protected], a Gmail address crafted to appear authentic on mobile devices.

Police said these email accounts were allegedly used to send fake entry passes, forged medical examination call letters, appointment orders and other fabricated recruitment documents.

Investigators also alleged that Dange met candidates wearing counterfeit naval uniforms complete with fake insignia, shoulder badges and name tags to reinforce his claims.

Repeat Offender
Police records indicate that Dange is a habitual offender. Authorities said he had previously been booked in 2023 under multiple provisions relating to cheating, impersonation, forgery and the Official Secrets Act. Naval officials also stated that he had earlier been arrested in 2020 and 2023 in similar fake military recruitment cases.

Investigators are examining whether additional victims across Maharashtra may have been targeted.
Case Registered Under Multiple Laws
The Lonavala City Police have registered Crime No. 138/2026 under Sections 204, 205 and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 6 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

Further investigation is underway to determine the full extent of the racket and identify any accomplices.
Indian Navy Issues Public Advisory
Following the arrest, Naval authorities reiterated that recruitment into the Indian Navy is completely transparent, centralised and merit-based, and no naval establishment, including INS Shivaji, conducts independent recruitment or collects money from candidates.

The Navy advised aspirants to verify all recruitment communications carefully and ensure they originate only from official email addresses ending with @navy.gov.in.

Officials warned that communications sent through free public email services such as Gmail, or suspiciously long domain names designed to imitate government websites, are strong indicators of fraud.

The Naval Police have appealed to anyone who may have been approached by the accused or received suspicious recruitment offers in the name of the Indian Navy to immediately report the matter to the nearest Cyber Crime Police Station, local police, or military authorities.