Crime Branch to arrest 259 candidates obtaining bogus sports certificates

Aurangabad, March 25:

The city police crime branch will arrest 259 persons who obtained bogus certificates in the trampoline and tumbling sports event for gaining government jobs. The police are searching for them now.

It may be noted that the city police have exposed a racket of bogus sports certificates. During the investigation by the crime branch, it has been found that around 259 persons have obtained state and national level certificates of the Aurangabad Sports Deputy Directorate in the trampoline and tumbling sports events for gaining jobs in the government services on five percent reservations for sports persons. In the police investigation it was found that these certificates were issued by the then sports officer Bhavrao Ramdas Veer, sports deputy director Rajkumar Dattatray Mahadwad, mastermind Ankush Pralhad Rathod and agent Shankar Shamrao Patange. A case was registered at the Jawaharnagar police station. The accused are in the police custody now. Crime branch PSI Manoj Shinde is investigating the case under the guidance of PI Avinash Aghav. Accused Patange and Rathod gained a sports event certificate and then learned from accused Veer about making the forged certificates. They later prepared the bogus certificates of trampoline and tumbling sports events with the signature of then sports commissioner Nitin Karir. The certificates were then presented to the deputy sports director's office for verification, where Mahadwad verified the certificates. In all, 248 state-level and 11 national-level certificates were issued to the candidates, the sources said.

Meanwhile, 71 out of 259 have claimed in the court that the certificates issued to them are true. Many of them are working in the government services, and some also gained anticipatory bail in this connection. Moreover, it was found that not a single sports event of these sports was organized in the state for which the certificates were issued.

The candidates who have obtained certificates provided false residential addresses, due to which it has become very difficult for the police to search them. These candidates are from various districts in the state. Now, the police are searching for these candidates.