The investigators suspect that documents were created to show that candidates had participated in or won taluka-, district- and state-level competitions, some of which may never have taken place. The police are yet to trace six other recruits with suspected links to the racket. Four could not be found at their residential addresses and are believed to be absconding. The fifth is associated with the Pimpri-Chinchwad police force, and the police Commissionerate has been informed about the action proposed to be taken against him. The investigation has raised questions about the verification of sports certificates submitted during government recruitment. The police are examining whether the competitions mentioned in the documents were actually held; how the certificates were issued; and the alleged roles of candidates, intermediaries and sports association office-bearers. The probe extends beyond the Pune city police recruitment. The case came to light after the Pune police received a tipoff that candidates had obtained Kurash sports certificates despite not participating in the competitions mentioned in the documents. The police are examining how these documents were prepared, issued and used to claim recruitment benefits.
The Pune police have arrested 13 policemen and eight agents in connection with a fake Kurash (name of sport) certificate racket while six other police recruits suspected of benefitting from the fraud remain untraceable; officials said on Wednesday. Earlier findings by the Pune crime branch had placed 71 candidates recruited into the police and other Maharashtra government departments since 2023 under scrutiny for allegedly submitting Kurash certificates under the sports quota. Of the 104 posts available for recruitment to the Pune city police in the sports category, 19 were filled by candidates who submitted Kurash certificates. A case was registered at Shivajinagar police station on September 3, followed by the arrest of Maharashtra State Kurash Association president Ankush Vitthal Nagar and secretary Shivaji Jaywant Salunkhe the next day (September 4). The police subsequently examined the competition records and certificates issued between 2016 and 2023. The earlier investigation estimated between 1,200 and 1,500 fake or questionable Kurash certificates to have been issued.
“Of the 13 policemen arrested, five had not yet joined the department, while the remaining eight were picked up from different police training institutes across the state,” an officer involved in the investigation said. The sixth is reportedly absconding from the Jalna police training centre; the officer said.
