Fake Sports Certificate Racket: 19 Secure Pune Police Jobs Through Sports Quota, 500-600 More Suspected in Other Districts
Pune, 5th September 2026: At least 19 aspirants allegedly secured jobs in the Pune City Police force by submitting fake sports certificates to claim reservation meant for sportspersons, while another 500 to 600 candidates are suspected to have used similar fraudulent certificates to obtain government jobs under the 5% sports quota.
The racket came to light during the investigation by the Pune Crime Branch, which has arrested two office-bearers of a Kuras Association of Maharashtra for allegedly manipulating the Kurash participation certificates. The investigation has revealed that the certificates were allegedly sold for between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh each.
The arrested accused have been identified as Maharashtra State Kurash Association president Ankush Nagar and secretary Shivaji Salunkhe. Police have also registered a case against organisers of the Kurash associations in Parbhani and Dharashiv districts, along with other office-bearers. A court has remanded Nagar and Salunkhe in police custody until September 8.
According to police, 19 candidates recruited through the Pune Police recruitment process conducted between 2024 and 2026 had submitted certificates showing participation in Kurash and dragon boat competitions. A complaint was received by senior police officials regarding the alleged use of fake certificates, following which the documents were scrutinised and a detailed inquiry was initiated. The investigation subsequently found that the certificates submitted by the 19 candidates were allegedly fabricated.
The recruitment process was conducted at the ground at the Shivajinagar police headquarters. Police said the candidates had allegedly defrauded the government by submitting certificates for competitions that had not actually been held. The candidates allegedly colluded with office-bearers of the concerned sports organisation and obtained documents falsely showing their participation in such competitions.
Police said that under a government circular issued after 2020, a government representative is required to be present at state-level sports competitions. However, the Kurash organisation competitions were either organized without informing the Directorate of Sports and Physical Education while in most cases the competitions were ever organised yet the certificates were issued.
The police suspect that the racket may extend beyond the Pune Police recruitment process, with preliminary information indicating that around 500 to 600 other candidates may have used similar fake sports certificates across the state to secure government employment in various departments under the sports reservation quota.
Police are also expected to conduct an inquiry with officials of the state Sports Department to determine the extent of the alleged fraud and whether any officials were involved or whether there were lapses in the verification of the certificates.
