Pune Crime Branch Arrests 14 New Police Constables in Fake Kurash Certificate Case

Pune police have widened their probe into an alleged fake sports certificate racket after arresting 14 newly recruited constables who are said to have entered the force under the sports quota. The arrests were made over the last two days from different police training centres across Maharashtra, according to the Crime Branch.

Case began after complaint in September

The matter was registered at Shivajinagar police station on September 3, 2026, after investigators received information about forged sports certificates being issued on a large scale. Police say the Maharashtra State Kurash Association, which oversees Kurash, allegedly prepared and issued around 1,200 to 1,500 fake participation and achievement certificates between 2016 and 2023. These documents were reportedly used by candidates to claim the five per cent sports quota in government recruitment in Maharashtra.

Association president Ankush Vitthal Nagar and secretary Shivaji Jaywant Salunkhe were among the first people arrested in early September. The investigation later showed that 19 candidates had submitted such certificates during the recent Pune city police recruitment drive. Of them, 14 have now been taken into custody from training institutes, while five others allegedly escaped before the arrests and remain absconding.

Police say checks exposed forged records

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Gauhar Hasan said the arrested constables first maintained that their certificates were authentic. Police, however, say verification established that the documents were fabricated and that several of the competitions mentioned on them had never been held. The accused were then arrested from different training institutes.

Hasan also said the probe is looking into the role of government officials who validated the certificates as genuine. Letters have been sent to police units across the state, and similar checks will also be carried out with other government departments, as investigators believe the racket may be wider than the police recruitment process alone.

Wider scrutiny on recruitment through Kurash certificates

Earlier reports suggested that as many as 71 candidates recruited into the police and other state departments since 2023 through Kurash certificates are under scrutiny. Police are also examining whether forged national- or international-level certificates were used for Class I and Class II posts through the Maharashtra Public Service Commission.

Investigators have pointed to multiple discrepancies in the records, including mismatched dates, district names that were adopted only after 2023 appearing on older certificates, and entries for competitions that were reportedly never conducted.

The case has raised concerns about sports quota recruitment and the possible exclusion of genuine athletes. Several of the arrested constables have been sent to Yerawada Central Jail, while the search for the remaining absconding accused continues. Police say the investigation is still underway.