He deserted his unit in 1792 or 1793 and took employment in the army of the Maratha prince Daulat Rao Sindhia.
He served under the French mercenary Benoît de Boigne, who promoted him to captain in 1794.
By 1795, he was in command of a battalion of infantry, serving alongside the Anglo-Indian military adventurer James Skinner.
Pohlmann was instrumental at defeating the Rajput armies of Jodhpur and Jaipur at the Battle of Malpura.
[2] He re-entered service with the East India Company as a lieutenant colonel in 1804.