SRINAGAR: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Kashmir, formerly the Crime Branch Kashmir, has secured the conviction of a Budgam resident in a recruitment fraud case involving the use of a forged academic certificate to obtain appointment as a Constable in the 9th Battalion of the Indian Reserve Police (IRP).
According to the EOW, the Court of the Special Mobile Magistrate, 13th Finance Commission/Railway Magistrate, Srinagar, convicted Nazir Ahmad Malik, son of Abdul Aziz Malik and a resident of Budgam, for fraudulently securing the appointment by producing a fake 10+2 qualification certificate.
During the investigation, the forged certificate was seized and sent to the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) for verification. The Board confirmed that the certificate was forged, leading to the prosecution of the accused.
The court sentenced Malik to three years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 under Section 420 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC). In default of payment of the fine, he will undergo 15 days’ simple imprisonment.
The court also awarded two years’ simple imprisonment under Section 471 RPC for using the forged document as genuine. Both substantive sentences will run concurrently.
Following the judgment, the EOW Kashmir urged the public not to use forged or fabricated documents for employment or any official purpose, warning that such offences are punishable under law and can result in imprisonment, financial penalties and lasting damage to an individual’s reputation and career.
