More than 60 people have likely secured government jobs across Maharashtra using allegedly fake Kurash sports certificates, Pune crime branch investigators have found, exposing what police suspect was a racket operating for nearly a decade.
The beneficiaries include candidates recruited in several government departments, with the police department accounting for a significant number of cases. Further details will be shared based on the investigation. The racket came to light last week after Pune police received a confidential complaint alleging that certificates were being issued to people showing proficiency in Kurash even though they had not participated in the competitions mentioned in the documents. The complainant, who was familiar with the sport, used the Right to Information Act (RTI) to collect documents and submit them to the police. He alleged that several people who obtained Kurash certificates had never actually played the sport. Police have also detained a third unknown person and are searching for a fourth accused.
Investigators have found that 16 to 18 candidates who allegedly used such certificates were recruited in Pune police alone. Gauhar Hasan, deputy commissioner of police (crime), said, “As per our initial investigation, it is revealed that over 60 candidates used Kurash sports certificates issued by these accused to get quota benefits in the various departments of the state government across the state. The crime branch arrested two people on September 3 — Shivaji Jaywant Salunkhe, 46, a resident of Fursungi-Hadapsar originally from Kolhapur, and Ankush Vitthal Nagar, 40, currently living in Chandigarh and originally from Ahilyanagar. Both were remanded in police custody until September 8. Competitions shown as having taken place between 2016 and 2019 were allegedly organised by an association that was not affiliated with the Kurash Association of India, police said.
