Daijiworld Media Network - Pune
Pune, Sep 8: More than 60 people are suspected to have secured government jobs across Maharashtra using allegedly fake Kurash sports certificates, with Pune Crime Branch investigators uncovering what police suspect was a racket operating for nearly a decade.
Investigators have found that 16 to 18 candidates who allegedly used such certificates were recruited into the Pune Police alone. The beneficiaries are believed to have secured positions in several government departments, with the police department accounting for a significant number of cases.
Kurash is an internationally recognised sport and is included in the Asian Games. Under Maharashtra government rules, eligible Kurash players can claim benefits under the five per cent sports quota during government recruitment.
Gauhar Hasan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), said the initial investigation had revealed that more than 60 candidates had allegedly used Kurash sports certificates issued by the accused to obtain quota benefits in various state government departments across Maharashtra.
The racket came to light last week after Pune Police received a confidential complaint alleging that certificates were being issued to individuals 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 to collect documents and submit them to police. He alleged that several people who obtained Kurash certificates had never actually participated in the sport.
The Crime Branch arrested two people on September 3. They were identified as 46-year-old Shivaji Jaywant Salunkhe, a resident of Fursungi-Hadapsar originally from Kolhapur, and 40-year-old Ankush Vitthal Nagar, currently residing in Chandigarh and originally from Ahilyanagar.
Both were remanded in police custody until September 8. Police have also detained a third unidentified person and are searching for a fourth accused.
According to investigators, records were allegedly created for competitions that either never took place or were not properly recognised. Certificates were subsequently issued showing that candidates had participated in and excelled in those events.
Police said 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.
Asked how many fake certificates may have been issued between 2016 and 2026, Hasan said the exact number was part of the ongoing investigation. He indicated that the alleged racket operated across four to five categories of the sport and continued for almost a decade without coming under scrutiny.
An officer involved in the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said office-bearers of the Kurash Association of Maharashtra allegedly collected old participation letters purportedly dating back nine to 10 years from district-level organisations.
These documents were allegedly used to prepare records and submit papers to the sports department to show that competitions had taken place and that particular candidates had participated in them.
Police suspect that the documents were subsequently used to obtain sports proficiency certificates, enabling candidates to claim benefits under the sports quota despite allegedly never having participated in the competitions.
The investigation has also revealed that several candidates may have paid between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh to obtain certificates and create records showing their participation and achievements in Kurash.
The Crime Branch is probing the role of district-level office-bearers who allegedly acted as intermediaries between candidates and senior functionaries of the association.
Investigators have found several discrepancies in the documents examined so far. In some cases, dates mentioned on certificates, participation letters and other records allegedly do not correspond with the dates of the competitions. Police suspect that some records may have been created or altered at a later stage.
Another major discrepancy concerns the names of districts mentioned in old documents. Investigators found references to Dharashiv and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in certificates and correspondence relating to events allegedly held before 2023.
The districts were officially known as Osmanabad and Aurangabad until their names were changed in 2023. Police suspect that the use of the new names in documents relating to earlier events could indicate that some records were prepared retrospectively.
An officer involved in the investigation said the original State Kurash Association had been functioning since 2010 for the benefit of the sport and sportspersons and was affiliated with the central association.
However, the original association was subsequently dissolved, following which one of the accused, who had been associated with it, allegedly started a new association. The accused reportedly claimed that the old association had been merged with the new body and that the new association was affiliated with the central association.
Police are now examining recruitment records and sports quota claims made by more than 60 candidates. Investigators are also trying to determine whether the candidates knowingly submitted allegedly fake certificates or were misled by intermediaries.
The probe is expected to establish the extent of the alleged racket, the number of fraudulent certificates issued and the involvement of individuals within sports associations and government recruitment processes.