Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar has ordered the removal of 19 recruits accused of securing appointments through forged kurash and dragon boat sports certificates, while nine recruits sent to training centres have also been ordered to return, according to a report by Pudhari.
The 19 candidates were recruited to the Pune city police force under the five per cent sports quota. Police said the appointments came under scrutiny after allegations that certificates showing participation in kurash competitions had been created for candidates who were not genuine players.
Ten of the recruits had not yet been allowed to report for duty after the alleged irregularity came to light. The remaining nine had already been sent to different training centres. The commissioner has now directed that those nine recruits be called back, while the decision to permanently remove all 19 from service has been communicated, the report said.
The case also involves alleged fabrication of sports records and competition documents. According to information provided by the police, competitions were shown as having taken place between 2016 and 2026 even though investigators allege that the events were not actually conducted. Records were allegedly prepared for people known not to be kurash players, after which certificates were issued to them.
The candidates allegedly used those certificates to obtain jobs in different government departments through the sports quota. Nineteen of them used such certificates to enter the Pune city police force during the 2024-26 recruitment process, according to the police account cited by Pudhari.
The inquiry began after an individual submitted an application to the police along with documents alleging irregularities in the recruitment process. The police then initiated an investigation into the certificates and related records.
The Pune crime branch has arrested four people in connection with the case, including Maharashtra State Kurash Association president Ankush Nagar, secretary Shivaji Salunkhe, and sports training centre operators Shruti Pungavkar and her husband, Dhairyashil Pungavkar. Police allege that forged kurash certificates were prepared at the training centre operated by the couple.
A case has also been registered at Shivajinagar police station against Parbhani district organiser Kalyan Balasaheb Murkute, Dharashiv district organiser Chandpasha Lalsahab Sheikh and others. The investigation is examining the network involved in organising kurash events and issuing certificates.
Police officials have identified 19 organisations that allegedly conducted or facilitated kurash activities from the taluka and district levels to the state level. The crime branch is compiling information about these organisations and the people who operated them. Senior police officials said further action against them would follow.
The case places the sports quota under scrutiny because the alleged use of fabricated certificates could affect the fairness of recruitment not only in the police force but also in other government departments. The immediate next steps are the return of the nine recruits from training, formal action concerning the 19 appointments and further investigation into the organisations and individuals connected to the certificates.
