A police constable has been Sacked from service after it was revealed that he secured his job by submitting a fake certificate claiming to be project-affected. The constable, Alam Nizam Shaikh, was earlier arrested by Thane Police in connection with the forgery case.
Shaikh was posted with the Naigaon unit of the State Reserve Police Force. The incident dates back to the 2021 police recruitment drive conducted under the Thane Commissionerate, in which 521 posts were advertised. Out of these, 27 posts were reserved for individuals affected by government development projects. The recruitment process began following a public notification in 2022.
A total of 1,384 applicants claimed project-affected status under the parallel reservation quota. After written and physical tests, the final selection list was released. Among the selected candidates, 13 individuals—including Shaikh—had submitted certificates purportedly issued by the Beed District Collectorate.
However, during verification, the Beed Collector’s office clarified that no such certificate had been issued to Shaikh and that there was no corresponding record in their office. Following this revelation, Thane Police registered a case against Shaikh last year for cheating and forgery and arrested him on 21 January. He was later released on bail.
Despite the ongoing legal case, Shaikh continued to serve in the Naigaon SRPF unit. Upon receiving formal communication regarding the matter, the department conducted an internal review. Subsequently, the Deputy Commissioner of the State Reserve Police Force issued an official order terminating his service.
Officials confirmed that Shaikh had not been affected by any government land acquisition or development project but had falsely claimed so to benefit from the reservation. The forged certificate was submitted along with his recruitment application, which is a direct violation of police service conditions.
Accordingly, a case was registered against him at the Thane Nagar Police Station under IPC Sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (using forged document as genuine).
The case highlights the importance of stringent verification in government recruitment processes to prevent such fraudulent entries into the system.