PUNE, Oct. 29 -- The Pune police have arrested 13 policemen and eight agents in connection with a fake Kurash (name of sport) certificate racket while six other police recruits suspected of benefitting from the fraud remain untraceable; officials said on Wednesday. The 25 arrests made so far include 13 policemen, eight agents associated with district Kurash associations, two office-bearers of the Maharashtra State Kurash Association, and a couple from Kolhapur. The arrests were made between September and October 27 as investigators widened the probe into the use of forged sports certificates to secure government jobs under the state's five per cent sports quota. "Of the 13 policemen arrested, five had not yet joined the department, while the remaining eight were picked up from different police training institutes across the state," an officer involved in the investigation said. The police are yet to trace six other recruits with suspected links to the racket. Four could not be found at their residential addresses and are believed to be absconding. The fifth is associated with the Pimpri-Chinchwad police force, and the police Commissionerate has been informed about the action proposed to be taken against him. The sixth is reportedly absconding from the Jalna police training centre. The investigation has raised questions about the verification of sports certificates submitted during government recruitment. The police are examining whether the competitions mentioned in the documents were actually held; how the certificates were issued; and the alleged roles of candidates, intermediaries and sports association office-bearers. The probe extends beyond the Pune city police recruitment. Earlier findings by the Pune crime branch had placed 71 candidates recruited into the police and other Maharashtra government departments since 2023 under scrutiny for allegedly submitting Kurash certificates under the sports quota. Of the 104 posts available for recruitment to the Pune city police in the sports category, 19 were filled by candidates who submitted Kurash certificates. Investigators are verifying the authenticity of these documents, and whether the candidates met the eligibility criteria for sports quota benefits. The probe is also examining the possible use of questionable certificates to secure class 1 and class 2 government posts through the MPSC. The case came to light after the Pune police received a tipoff that candidates had obtained Kurash sports certificates despite not participating in the competitions mentioned in the documents. Kurash is an internationally recognised form of upright wrestling in which, competitors attempt to throw their opponents to the ground while remaining on their feet....