Seven forest researchers in legal trouble after securing jobs through forged documents in Bengaluru
BENGALURU: In a major job fraud case, seven employees of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) have landed in legal trouble after it was found that they had allegedly secured jobs through impersonation and forged documents, and drew salaries for years at the Institute of Wood Science and Technology in Bengaluru.
The scam’s modus operandi is reminiscent of the ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ movie.
According to the police, the accused had arranged for others to write recruitment examinations on their behalf using forged documents, cleared the exams, and secured jobs. Dinesh (28) from Haryana was appointed as a multi-tasking staff (MTS) member in 2019.
HN Sudhir (29), Prince (29), Sonu (37), and Praveen (25), all from Haryana, along with Rajkumar (25) from Bihar, were appointed as MTS staff in 2022. A forest watcher, Sunil Kumar Yadav (33) from Bihar, joined the service in 2023. All seven were working at the ICFRE office in Malleswaram after securing a job fraudulently.
Following the registration of an FIR against them at the Sadashivanagar police station on January 8 under multiple sections of the BNS and the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, the accused have absconded, the police said.
Signature mismatch
The police said that, in August 2025, Sadashivanagar police had arrested four people for allegedly impersonating a candidate in the MTS recruitment examination, who was caught while reporting for duty as his signature and photograph did not match. After the fraud surfaced, the ICFRE Secretary ordered verification of documents of candidates recruited to MTS and other posts at the Institute of Wood Science and Technology.
During an internal inquiry, discrepancies were found in the records of the seven accused. Their daily attendance signatures did not match the signatures made during the examination. Further analysis of CCTV footage from the examination dates revealed that the individuals who appeared for the exams did not match the accused employees.
Subsequently, their documents, answer sheets, and signatures were sent to the State Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Madiwala. After technical analysis, FSL experts confirmed discrepancies in the documents and signatures. Based on this, ICFRE Director Dr. Shakti Singh Chauhan filed a complaint against the seven employees who had secured jobs through fraudulent means, the police said.