1,500 Fake Sports Certificates? Pune Police Uncover Kurash Quota Racket

Share this News: Pune, 8th September 2026: Pune police have uncovered an alleged racket in which fabricated sports proficiency certificates for Kurash competitions were used to obtain government jobs under Maharashtra's five per cent sports quota. Two office-bearers of the Maharashtra Kurash Association have been arrested, while the role of organisers, agents, athletes and government sports officials across several districts is being investigated. Kurash is an ancient 3,500-year-old form of upright jacket wrestling that originated in Uzbekistan and is now practiced globally. Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Tejaswi Satpute said the scale of the suspected fraud could be substantial. 'More than 1,000 fake certificates appear to have been prepared, and such bogus documents have been used to secure Class I and Class II government posts,' Satpute said. Police are also verifying certificates connected to Dragon Boat and other sports. The arrested suspects have been identified as Ankush Vitthal Nagar, 40, president of the Maharashtra Kurash Association, and Shivaji Jaywant Salunkhe, 46, its secretary. The two were arrested on September 3. Police have alleged that documents were fabricated to show that taluka-, district- and state-level Kurash competitions had been conducted between 2016 and 2023, although some of those competitions had apparently never taken place. According to Satpute, investigators found several discrepancies in the records, including backdated participation lists and certificates carrying district names that did not exist during the period in which the purported competitions were held. Some old records referred to Osmanabad as Dharashiv and Aurangabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar even though the renaming took effect only in 2023. Other records allegedly contained incorrect gender classifications, missing serial numbers and lists prepared either before or long after the purported competitions. DCP (Crime) Gauhar Hasan said that the police investigation also found that certificates issued to purported state-level winners carried the signatures of the association's president and secretary. However, no government sports officer or authorised representative was allegedly present at the competitions. Police further suspect that some individuals without the required national or international refereeing qualifications were shown as officials at the events. Information obtained from the Directorate of Sports indicated that 71 candidates had secured jobs in the police and other government departments under the sports quota on the basis of Kurash certificates since 2023, the police press note said. Investigators estimate that between 1,200 and 1,500 certificates may have been distributed. They are also examining whether fabricated national and international certificates were used by candidates to obtain Class I and Class II posts through the Maharashtra Public Service Commission. Police have registered FIR No. 237/2026 at Shivajinagar police station under Sections 318(4), 338, 336(3), 340(2), 339, 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The case was registered following a complaint lodged by Senior Police Inspector Deepak Manikrao Lagad, then attached to Unit I of the Pune Crime Branch. Apart from Nagar and Salunkhe, the FIR names Kalyan Balasaheb Murkute, Chandpasha Lalasaheb Sheikh and Yashiraya, whose complete identity was not known at the time of registration. The police are investigating the suspected involvement of district organisers, athletes, agents who allegedly supplied fabricated certificates and government sports officials in Pune, Parbhani, Dharashiv, Kolhapur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The probe is being conducted by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime 3) Shankar Khatke of Crime Branch. Add CP Satpute said investigators were identifying candidates who had obtained government employment using the questioned certificates and were examining the financial trail behind the alleged racket. The possibility that similar fabricated certificates were issued in other sporting disciplines is also under investigation. Police said further arrests could not be ruled out.