International News
Fake India Police Clearance Certificates Still A Problem In India
July 08, 2025 posted by Steve Brownstein
Two persons from a private company have been arrested for allegedly forging ‘police clearance certificates' for contractual employees to gain access to high-security zones on Navy premises. A third person, also from the same company, has been issued a notice by the police, asking him to co-operate in the investigation.
The clearance certificate is a document confirming that a person has no criminal record in India. It is a background check for those applying for various purposes — residential status, employment, or long-term visas.
Such fake certificates are a "serious lapse", a crime branch officer said. It has potential implications for national security, highlighting an urgent need to review and tighten verification protocol for private contractors operating within the defence ecosystem, the officer said.
The case surfaced after a complaint was submitted by an Intelligence Officer of Western Naval Command Headquarters, over suspicion about authenticity of police clearance certificates submitted by two employees of Aakash Infratech
Further investigation led to the identification of the third accused who has been arrested for allegedly creating the fake certificates for his colleagues. The fake certificates bore forged seals and signatures of the Special Branch of Mumbai Police for securing jobs within the highly restricted naval premises, the police said.
Following an internal inquiry, the Crime Branch contacted Cuffe Parade police station and the Special Branch which confirmed that no such clearance certificates had been issued by the police to the persons.
Three cellphones and identification documents have also been recovered from the accused persons, an officer said, adding that all of this has been seized for forensic analysis.
A criminal offence has been registered under sections of Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita — forgery, cheating, and criminal conspiracy. The two accused persons have been remanded in police custody to find out what methods were deployed to mimic the fake certificates resembling official police documents.
