Pune police have arrested 25 people, including 14 police personnel, in an alleged racket involving forged kurash sports certificates that were used to obtain government jobs through the sports quota. The arrests bring a recruitment-fraud investigation into the functioning of government departments, with police examining whether other employees were appointed using fabricated sporting credentials.
The crime branch has alleged that the accused either created or used fake certificates without participating in the competitions they purportedly represented. The certificates were allegedly submitted to claim benefits reserved for eligible sportspersons during government recruitment.
Among those arrested are police personnel who had already joined the force and undergone training, as well as candidates who had been recruited but had not reported for training. One constable allegedly left a training centre in Dhule after learning that he was likely to be named as an accused, according to the report.
Some of the arrested accused have been sent to Yerawada Central Jail, while six others remain absconding. The police investigation is continuing to identify the people involved in preparing, arranging and using the certificates, as well as the extent of the alleged network.
The case has also widened beyond the police department. Pune police are writing to other government departments where candidates may have used similar certificates to secure employment. The departments are expected to examine the records of employees suspected of having obtained appointments fraudulently and take appropriate action based on the investigation.
The alleged fraud raises questions about how sports-quota documents are checked during recruitment. A certificate-based system depends on the ability of recruiting authorities to verify the issuing organisation, competition participation and the authenticity of each document before an appointment is finalised. If forged certificates pass through those checks, candidates who have actually competed and qualified may lose opportunities intended for them.
The investigation has also drawn attention to the different stages at which the alleged fraud may have occurred, including the preparation of certificates, their submission by candidates and the verification undertaken by recruiting departments. The available report does not establish how many appointments were secured in total or which departments, apart from the police, may have been affected.
An agent allegedly linked to the case died of a heart attack before police could question him, according to the report. Police are continuing efforts to trace the six people who remain absconding and to determine whether additional government employees obtained jobs using forged kurash certificates.
