The Pune police recruitment case involving alleged fake kurash sports certificates has widened with the arrest of a couple from Kolhapur, while investigators suspect that more than 1,000 such certificates may have been issued for candidates seeking jobs in government departments across Maharashtra.
The Pune Crime Branch arrested Rruti Pungavkar, 45, and Dhairyashil Pungavkar, 51, both residents of Kolhapur. Police allege that fake certificates in the kurash sports category were submitted during the Pune city police recruitment process to improperly claim reservation benefits.
The arrests follow the earlier detention of Ankush Nagar, president of the Maharashtra State Kurash Association, and Shivaji Salunke, the organisation’s secretary. With the latest arrests, four people have been detained in the case so far. The Crime Branch is questioning additional individuals, according to Tejaswi Satpute, Additional Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch.
According to the police account reported by Loksatta, the Pungavkar couple are relatives of Salunke and directors of a sports training institute in Kolhapur. Investigators received information that counterfeit certificates were prepared at the institute, Satpute said.
The case came to light during the investigation into certificates allegedly used in the Pune police recruitment process. Police said that when Salunke was arrested, he allegedly attempted to destroy evidence by burning fake certificates. A face-to-face interrogation of Salunke and Nagar reportedly led investigators to the alleged involvement of the Pungavkars.
The couple were taken into custody in Kolhapur and, during questioning, investigators concluded that they were allegedly involved in the case, Satpute said. The police account does not establish how many candidates may have used the certificates or how many government recruitment processes were affected. Those details are expected to depend on the continuing investigation.
The suspected scale of the case raises questions about the verification of sports certificates used to claim reservation benefits in public recruitment. In recruitment systems where eligibility and reservation depend on documentary proof, the issuing organisation, the recruiting authority and the department responsible for validating certificates each form part of the verification chain.
At present, the information released by the Crime Branch identifies the arrests and the suspected role of the sports organisation and training institute. It does not provide details of the alleged financial transactions, the names of candidates who may have received certificates, or the specific government departments beyond the reference to recruitment processes across the state.
The investigation is continuing, with further questioning under way. The Crime Branch’s next steps include examining the alleged certificate-production process and determining the wider reach of the suspected network, according to the information attributed to Additional Commissioner Satpute.
