13 policemen & eight agents arrested in fake Kurash certificate racket

The 25 arrests made so far include 13 policemen, eight agents associated with district Kurash associations, two office-bearers of the Maharashtra State Kurash Association, and a couple from Kolhapur

shrinivas.deshpande@htlive.com

The arrests were made between September and October 27 as investigators widened the probe. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

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.

The 25 arrests made so far include 13 policemen, eight agents associated with district Kurash associations, two office-bearers of the Maharashtra State Kurash Association, and a couple from Kolhapur. The arrests were made between September and October 27 as investigators widened the probe into the use of forged sports certificates to secure government jobs under the state’s five per cent sports quota.

“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 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 sixth is reportedly absconding from the Jalna police training centre; the officer said.

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.

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.

Investigators are verifying the authenticity of these documents, and whether the candidates met the eligibility criteria for sports quota benefits. The probe is also examining the possible use of questionable certificates to secure class 1 and class 2 government posts through the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).

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. 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 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 earlier investigation estimated between 1,200 and 1,500 fake or questionable Kurash certificates to have been issued. The police are examining how these documents were prepared, issued and used to claim recruitment benefits.

Kurash is an internationally recognised form of upright wrestling in which, competitors attempt to throw their opponents to the ground while remaining on their feet. Maharashtra provides a five per cent sports quota in government recruitment for eligible sportspersons.