Pune | September 9, 2026
Pune police’s crime branch has launched an extensive investigation after allegedly forged Kurash sports certificates were used by 19 candidates to obtain the benefit of the sports quota during recruitment to the Pune police force. Investigators have also found that office-bearers of the Maharashtra State Kurash Association may have distributed around 1,000 such certificates across the state, according to police officials quoted by Loksatta.
The investigation began after the 19 candidates were found to have submitted certificates relating to the Kurash sport during the Pune police recruitment process. The candidates allegedly used the documents to claim the five per cent reservation available to sportspersons in government recruitment. A case has been registered in connection with the alleged fraud.
Additional Commissioner of Police Tejaswi Satpute said the crime branch was examining how many people may have secured government employment using the certificates. Deputy Commissioner of Police Gawhar Hasan was also present when the police provided details to journalists.
The crime branch has arrested Maharashtra State Kurash Association president Ankush Nagar and Shivaji Salunke in connection with the case. Police said the two accused had issued certificates stating that candidates had participated in competitions. The investigation is examining the role of the association’s office-bearers and the process through which the certificates were issued.
Of the 19 candidates identified in the Pune police recruitment case, 10 have proceeded for police training, while training for the remaining nine has not yet begun, according to the report. The status of the candidates and any further administrative action will depend on the investigation and the findings of the authorities.
The candidates’ certificates were verified by the sports department during the recruitment process and were granted recognition, the report said. The crime branch is therefore also examining how the allegedly forged certificates received approval during the verification process. The inquiry could determine whether the issue was limited to the Pune police recruitment exercise or affected other government recruitment processes in Maharashtra.
The reported discovery of approximately 1,000 certificates has widened the scope of the case beyond the 19 appointments already identified in Pune. Police are investigating whether additional candidates used similar documents to obtain government jobs and whether other recruitment authorities or departments received certificates from the same organisation.
The five per cent sports reservation is intended to provide eligible sportspersons with access to government employment. In this case, investigators are examining whether forged records were used to claim that benefit and whether the verification and recognition procedures failed to detect irregularities. The crime branch’s next steps will include determining the number of certificates used, identifying any additional beneficiaries and establishing how the documents were approved.
