The Pune Police Crime Branch has arrested 14 newly recruited police constables accused of using forged Kurash sports certificates to win posts under the sports quota, according to reports published on 28 and 29 October 2026. The arrests bring the total number of people held in the case to about 25.

The constables were among 19 Pune city police recruits whose certificates came under scrutiny earlier this month, when the force moved to dismiss them. They were taken into custody from police training centres in different parts of Maharashtra. Several of the 19 have not yet been traced and searches are continuing.

How the case developed

The case was registered at Shivajinagar police station in early September after police received information that Kurash certificates were being issued on a large scale to people who had not competed. Kurash is a traditional wrestling-style sport recognised for sports quota purposes. Those arrested earlier include office-bearers of the state Kurash association and agents linked to district associations who allegedly helped arrange the certificates.

Earlier reports said as many as 1,500 certificates are under examination. Investigators have alleged that some documents cited competitions that were never held, and that candidates used similar certificates to obtain jobs in other government departments as well. Some of the accused have been sent to Yerawada Central Jail.

According to SSBCrack, a senior Crime Branch officer said police are also looking at the role of officials who validated the certificates as genuine. Those arrested are accused, and none has been convicted.

Why sports quota documents are vulnerable

Sports quota recruitment depends on participation and medal certificates issued by sports associations rather than by universities or exam boards. These documents often lack central databases, which makes them harder for recruiting agencies to check.

Recruiters can reduce risk by confirming each certificate directly with the national federation that sanctioned the event, checking whether the competition was actually held on the stated dates, and comparing results with official published records. Where a certificate refers to a district or body that did not exist at the stated time, that is a clear warning sign.

Sources

This News Desk report summarises information published by the sources above, written in our own words. Persons named in criminal matters are accused, not convicted, unless a court has ruled otherwise. To report an error, use our contact page.

MaharashtraPune PoliceSports quotaForged certificatesPolice recruitment

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