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Whistle-blower who exposed fake sports certificate racket found dead in Beed
Investigation had led to the suspension of 14 police personnel and several sports officials. The Pune crime branch also arrested the president and secretary of the Kurash Association
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Vaibhav Chavan, a 26-year-old whistle-blower who exposed a fake Kurash certificate racket within the Maharashtra police recruitment process, was found dead on Thursday in Beed. While local authorities have said the preliminary cause of his death as suicide, the victim’s family has alleged foul play, claiming he had received repeated death threats after bringing the racket to light. They have demanded a thorough investigation.
Chavan, a resident of Navgan Rajuri village in Beed taluka, was found dead at around 8.40 in the Imampur hilly area, within the jurisdiction of Beed rural police station.
Chavan had applied for recruitment to the Dharashiv police force under the sports quota in 2024-25. Despite holding state-and national-level sports certificates for Karate, he was placed on the waiting list. He subsequently discovered that another candidate, allegedly using a fake certificate in a Kurash sporting discipline, had secured a job despite scoring fewer marks.
Chavan approached the sports commissionerate in Balewadi, Pune, and lodged a complaint against the candidate. His complaint reportedly led to the exposure of a wider racket involving the alleged use of fake sports certificates to secure government jobs.
The ensuing investigation led to the suspension of 14 police personnel and several sports officials. In September 2026, the Pune crime branch arrested the president and secretary of the Kurash Association in connection with the alleged racket. At least 71 government recruits came under scrutiny during the wider investigation.
His family claimed that Chavan had received repeated threats after the racket was exposed. He had also sent an audio recording to a friend, expressing concern for their safety. In the recording, he allegedly said the Kurash Association should be held responsible if anything happened to him.
His elder brother, Ganesh Chavan, said, “There were injury marks on Vaibhav’s body and legs, raising suspicions of assault.” The family refused to take custody of the body for nearly 12 hours, demanding that a murder case be registered.
Police officials assured the family that appropriate action would be taken after examining the post-mortem report. The family later accepted the body.
Somnath Jadhav, police inspector at Beed rural police station, said, “The post-mortem report suggests that this is a case of death by suicide. However, we are investigating all angles related to the case.”
Chetna Tidke, additional superintendent of police, Beed, said, “As per the post-mortem report, this is a case of death by suicide. There are some minor injury marks on his body, but they are not related to murder.”
Tidke said Chavan’s family had claimed that he received death threats and possessed an audio clip to support their allegation. “Once they approach us, we will register a case and investigate accordingly,” she said.
Hanumant Patil, president of Shaurya Sanghatana, had, along with Chavan, raised the issue of fake sports certificates in May and organised a protest march at the sports commissionerate in Balewadi, Pune.
“Vaibhav was a karate player who represented the state and the country in competitions. He was passionate about joining the police force and had applied for recruitment in Dharashiv district, but his name remained on the waiting list. He then filed an official complaint against certain candidates who had allegedly submitted fake Kurash certificates and secured jobs, after which many officers were suspended. We organised a protest in Pune, in which he participated. Later, an FIR was registered in the fake Kurash certificate scam, and several people were arrested,” he said.
A case has been registered at Beed Rural police station under the provisions relating to an accidental death inquiry, including Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
