Sports Quota Scam: Pune Police Bust Fake Kurash Certificate Racket, Two Arrested
Pune, 4th September 2026: The Crime Branch of Pune City Police has busted a large-scale racket involving the issuance of fake proficiency certificates in Kurash, allegedly used by aspirants to secure government jobs under the 5% sports quota.
According to a Crime Branch, Kurash is an international-level sport that has been organised in Maharashtra since 2012 by the Kurash Association of Maharashtra. The racket came to light following a confidential complaint alleging that state-level competitions that were never held were shown as having been conducted and proficiency certificates issued on that basis. The certificates were subsequently used to claim the 5% reservation for meritorious sportspersons in government jobs.
The investigation revealed that competitions shown as having been held between 2016 and 2019 were conducted by associations not affiliated with the Indian Kurash Association. Police also found that scanned seals were used on the certificates. Between 2016 and 2022, the president and secretary of the Maharashtra Kurash Association allegedly procured fake participation letters bearing backdated stamps, showing dates from nine to 10 years earlier, from district associations across Maharashtra.
Using these fabricated documents, the accused allegedly got the fake certificates verified as genuine and valid by the Directorate of Sports. This enabled ineligible candidates to secure government jobs under the sports quota, depriving genuine sportspersons of opportunities, police said.
A case has been registered at Shivajinagar police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Two persons were arrested on September 3 — Shivaji Jaywant Salunkhe (46), a resident of Fursungi in Hadapsar and Pungavkar Mala in Kolhapur, and Ankush Vitthal Nagar (40), currently residing in Chandigarh and originally from Ahilyanagar.
Police said further investigation was underway to identify and arrest other persons allegedly involved in the racket.
