The Shahupuri police on Thursday arrested three employees of the social welfare department for their alleged role in providing fake caste validity certificates to applicants who do not have valid documents to support their claim and seized 10 certificates with duplicate signature of the authority.
The suspects have been identified as Salim Sheikh (28), resident of Line Bazaar, Kolhapur, Vishal Vittal Patil (33), resident of Yashwantrao Chavan colony, Ujalaiwadi and Anil Harihar Dhawale (39), native of Parbhani district and resident of Bhagawa chowk, Kasaba Bawada.
According to the police, Sunil Ware, a member of the Kolhapur division caste validity committee, got information that an applicant has received a caste validity certificate which does not have a valid signature of Ware. He immediately lodged a complaint and the police arrested three suspects.
Assistant inspector Vidya Jadhav who is investigating the case said, “All the three suspects are working with the social welfare department on contract basis. They used to contact the persons who apply for caste validity certificates but do not have valid documents to support their claim and offer them to provide certificates at a cost varying from Rs 10,000 to Rs 40,000. Later, they would prepare fake documents and provide the fake certificate.”
“We suspect that more people are involved in the crime and investigating the case in detail to nab the others,” she said.
Three months ago, acting on a tip off, the police had arrested two persons for allegedly providing fake caste validity certificates to the applicants. The used to provide fake caste validity certificates at Rs 40,000 per certificate.
The police suspect a link between the three persons arrested on Thursday and the two arrested earlier.
Caste validity certificate is an essential document to the backward community people when they get selected to government services or students get admission to course like medical or engineering, claiming reservation based on caste.
Source: indiatimes
