Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta on Saturday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to further probe the recruitment racket busted with the arrest of Harinder Singh alias Babbu-12 bore, who had allegedly duped 11 people with the promise of police jobs.

A spokesperson of the police department said the role of the other accused involved in the racket will be probed further by the SIT. Investigations so far had revealed that Harinder had duped at least 11 persons to the tune of nearly Rs  70 lakh on the pretext of recruiting them into the police department.

The SIT will work under the supervision of IG Patiala Range, with SSPs of Amritsar Rural, Mohali, Barnala, Sangrur and Patiala, as its Members.

Harinder Singh was arrested on the complaint of ASI Parminder Singh on December 20 for duping people for recruitment in the Punjab Police department.

The accused had duped the complainant Parminder Singh of Rs. 40 lakhs as per his complaint.

Giving details of the modus operandi of the accused, the spokesperson said that Harinder Singh belonged to an agricultural family in district Patiala, and used to operate from Kharar and Patiala.

He pretended to be a Sub Inspector in Punjab Police, claiming that he was dealing in secret operations and hence did not wear police uniform. The accused would prepare and give fake appointmentletters to the innocent victims, in exchange of money.

During the investigation, the police had recovered from Harinder original certificates of the complainants, Rs  300,000 in cash, and the accused’s mobile phone with SIM card used in it.

A Pajero Car no. PB 08 CT 0027 was being used by the accused during the commission of the offence and it has now been seized, along with digital evidence in the form of the computer systems of a Cyber Café located in Sector 35-C, Chandigarh, which was used for printing of fake joining letters and DO letters given to the complainants.

During interrogation, Harinder told the police that he had spent Rs  40.60 lakh for purchase of the Pajero car, repayment of debt taken for the treatment of his daughter, rent of accommodation in Palm Villa in New Delhi, among other things.

Several FIRs have been registered in various districts of the Punjab against Harinder Singh.