In a significant crackdown on recruitment fraud, the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan police on Friday arrested a woman serving as an Assistant Fire Officer (AFO) for allegedly using counterfeit educational certificates to secure her government position.
AFO Apprehended Based on Discrepancy in Exam Performance
The accused, identified as Sobia Syed, was posted in the Malviya Nagar Zone at the time of her arrest. SOG Additional Director General of Police Vishal Bansal stated that Syed is charged with submitting dubious educational credentials during the recruitment process for the 2021 Assistant Fire Officer test.
Investigators grew suspicious due to a glaring inconsistency: the marks she obtained in the practical and physical efficiency exams did not align with her performance in the written test. This anomaly prompted a deeper probe into her submitted documents.
Web of Forged Degrees and Logistically Impossible Diplomas
The investigation unraveled a complex scheme of allegedly forged qualifications. Syed is under scrutiny for submitting more than one degree and diploma purportedly obtained in the same academic session, a feat that appears logistically impossible.
As per the SOG, Syed claimed to have earned a BTech degree in regular mode from Rajasthan Technical University, Kota. Simultaneously, she allegedly completed a one-year regular mode diploma in Fire and Safety Engineering from an institute in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
The case took a more bizarre turn when it was discovered she secured a second diploma from the same Nagpur institute and a third from a university in Jhunjhunu, all within the same academic session. Deputy Inspector General Paris Deshmukh highlighted the impossibility, noting the two institutes are nearly 900 kilometers apart.
"The SOG failed to find any supporting documents for the diplomas issued from Nagpur," DIG Deshmukh told reporters. He added that her physical efficiency exam results also showed multiple irregularities, which are under active investigation.
Wider Probe into 2021 Fire Service Recruitment
The SOG has registered a case against Syed, accusing her of misleading both the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board (RSSB), which conducted the AFO test, and the Local Self Government department, the appointing authority.
ADGP Bansal revealed that the SOG acted on specific information about irregularities in the recruitment test. The team perused relevant records and examined video footage from the physical efficiency test before making the arrest.
This case appears to be part of a larger pattern. The SOG has reported receiving several complaints alleging the use of fake diplomas and forged documents in the Assistant Fire Officer and Fireman Recruitment Examination of 2021. Authorities have promised strict legal action against anyone found guilty of subverting the recruitment process.
The arrest sends a strong message against the use of fraudulent means to secure government jobs and underscores the vigilance of the SOG in upholding the integrity of public service recruitment in Rajasthan.
