Jorhat (Assam) [India], June 13 (HBTV): A major recruitment scam involving forged certificates has surfaced in Assam, raising concerns over the alleged loss of employment opportunities for genuine Assamese youth.
According to reports, several candidates from outside Assam allegedly secured jobs in various Central Government departments using fake documents claiming them to be permanent residents of the state. The forged documents reportedly include Permanent Resident Certificates (PRCs), Caste Certificates and Income Certificates.
The scam recently came to light in Jorhat and has drawn attention to Naosholia village, where forged resident certificates were allegedly created and used by candidates from other states. Investigations have revealed that several individuals obtained Central Government jobs under Assam's quota by fraudulently presenting these fake documents.
The fraudulent activities were reportedly detected through the efforts of Jorhat Additional Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Bora. The revelations have shocked both officials and the public.
Sources indicate that fake Permanent Resident Certificates linked to Naosholia village, along with forged Caste and Income Certificates, were used to secure employment in organisations such as the CRPF, Assam Rifles and CISF. All the individuals under scrutiny allegedly used fake residential credentials connected to Naosholia village.
Further investigation revealed that the Caste and Income Certificates submitted by these candidates were originally issued in the names of different individuals from Assam. The fraud was uncovered through verification of certificate numbers and related records.
Authorities suspect that the scam may not be confined to Jorhat alone. Concerns have emerged that similar fraudulent practices may have occurred elsewhere in Assam, enabling candidates from outside the state to deprive eligible Assamese youth of Central Government employment opportunities.
A key question arising from the investigation is who facilitated the issuance and use of the forged Assam documents. There is also speculation about the possible involvement of influential individuals or organised networks behind the racket.
Investigators are examining whether the repeated use of Naosholia village was linked to its proximity to establishments where personnel from various Central Government security forces are employed and often reside in rented accommodation. It is suspected that the perpetrators may have exploited this connection while creating the forged residential documents.
The exposure of the alleged scam has sparked widespread concern across Assam. Many have demanded a thorough investigation and strict action against those involved, arguing that such fraudulent activities undermine the integrity of the recruitment process and rob deserving Assamese youth of their rightful employment opportunities.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Bora told ANI, 'Actually, we received requests from certain CRPF units, the Director General's Office of Assam Rifles in Shillong, and a CISF unit at NTPC Dadri regarding the verification of PRC (Permanent Resident Certificate) and other certificates submitted by some of their newly recruited personnel. According to the documents submitted, these recruits claimed to be residents of Jorhat district. Accordingly, the documents were forwarded to us for verification. However, during the verification process, we found that the documents were forged.'
'Upon examining the certificate numbers, we discovered that those numbers actually corresponded to genuine income certificates that had been issued to other individuals, some from Jorhat district and others from different districts of Assam. However, the certificates produced before the recruiting authorities were entirely different from the original documents linked to those certificate numbers,' he added.
Bora further said, 'Further analysis revealed that no applications corresponding to the documents produced by these individuals had ever been received or processed under those certificate numbers. Based on these findings, we concluded that the certificates were completely forged and fabricated, apparently with the intention of securing recruitment into government services or possibly for other unlawful purposes. At present, we have established that these individuals do not belong to the places mentioned in their Police Station Reports. Therefore, the documents submitted by them are clearly fake. Furthermore, the existence of these individuals at the addresses provided in the documents could not be verified or traced.'
'As such, we cannot conclusively determine where they are originally from. However, some of the supporting documents received from the recruiting authorities indicate that while the individuals claimed to be residents of Assam, they had appeared for their High School (Madhyamik) and other preliminary examinations in Uttar Pradesh. It is possible that they belong to Uttar Pradesh or some other state and obtained forged certificates from Assam in order to falsely project themselves as permanent residents of the state. At this stage, it would be difficult for us to make any definitive statement regarding their actual place of origin. However, one common factor that has emerged in all the forged documents is the repeated mention of Naosholia village,' he added.
The Additional Deputy Commissioner further said, 'We have observed that Naosholia village and its surrounding areas are located close to several Central Government establishments, including security force installations. A number of personnel associated with these establishments reside in the area, either in government accommodation or in rented houses within the village. This could explain why the name of Naosholia village appears repeatedly in the forged certificates. In view of these findings, we lodged an FIR on May 27, 2026. The case has been registered at Jorhat Sadar Police Station.'
'The Investigating Officer has already commenced the investigation. We have also provided additional inputs to assist the inquiry. The investigation is currently focused on determining whether an organised criminal network or recruitment racket is operating in the area and facilitating the preparation and use of such forged documents,' he concluded.
A case has been registered at Jorhat Sadar Police Station under Sections 3(5), 318(2), 319(2), 336, 336(2), 338, 340 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). There have been calls for immediate and stringent action to identify those responsible, cancel fraudulent appointments and prevent similar incidents in the future.
(ANI)