Before You Laugh at Their “Jugad”, Ask What It Would Mean If They Had Succeeded
What this post covers — and why it should matter to you even if you are not writing any exam
The story you are about to read is not just about four young men trying to cheat a running test. It is about what kind of people get to wear the uniform that can stop you on the road, file your FIR, or protect your family during a crisis. Every fact in this post is drawn from FIR details and reports in Mid-Day, The Indian Express, Times of India, Free Press Journal, and Saam TV’s Marathi coverage of the ongoing Maharashtra Police Constable Recruitment 2026 physical tests at Marol, Andheri East. Older cases from 2023–2024, and similar scams in Madhya Pradesh and other states, are included to show that this is no longer an isolated one-off. It is a pattern.
What Happened at Marol This Week — The Short Version
At the Armed Police Headquarters ground in Marol (Andheri East), physical tests for the Maharashtra Police Constable Recruitment 2026 are underway. Thousands of aspirants report every day for the 100-metre sprint and the 1,600-metre endurance run. Each candidate wears RFID chips to record their timing; CCTV cameras cover the ground.
On 25 February 2026, officials noticed something odd:
- One candidate was lying in a hospital bed supposedly too exhausted to run — but the system showed his RFID chip had already completed the 100-metre race.
- Two other candidates for the 1,600-metre run had posted “record-breaking” times that did not match what officers saw on the track.
Checking the CCTV footage revealed the truth:
- In the first case, two friends had swapped RFID chips, with one faking a collapse and being taken to hospital while the other ran in his name.
- In the second case, two candidates had cut corners in the 1,600-metre race — one ran fewer laps, the other took a shortcut off the track and rejoined later.
Powai Police registered two FIRs, booking four aspirants under cheating provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The recruitment drive continues. The four candidates now carry criminal cases in a process where they were supposed to prove they are fit — physically and morally — to become police constables.
Case 1: The 100-Metre Sprint and the Hospital “Collapse”
In the first incident, reported in detail by Mid-Day and Free Press Journal, two friends allegedly decided to “share” physical ability.
- Candidate A (let us call him the weaker runner) wanted the job badly but was not confident about clearing the 100-metre sprint.
- Candidate B (the stronger runner) was reportedly a good sprinter and, in some accounts, not even interested in the job for himself.
- Each was given RFID chips linked to their chest numbers at the ground.
Their plan:
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- Swap RFID chips before the race — so that the strong runner’s performance would be recorded against the weak runner’s identity.
- The weak runner would pretend to collapse from fatigue and be taken to hospital by the medical team to avoid suspicion.
- The strong runner would complete the 100 metres with the swapped chip, giving the weak runner a qualifying time.
What went wrong:
- After the race, a report for the “collapsed” candidate was sent from the hospital to the ground authorities.
- Officials noticed that, according to the RFID system, this same candidate had already completed the 100-metre sprint and had a recorded time — even though he was supposedly in hospital when the race happened.
- This contradiction triggered a CCTV review.
- Footage clearly showed the chip swap and the staged collapse.
Result: Both aspirants were booked for cheating in an FIR registered at Powai Police Station. They have been served notices to appear, and will likely be disqualified from the recruitment process.
Case 2: The 1,600-Metre Race and the Shortcut
In the second incident, during the 1,600-metre endurance run (four laps of 400 metres), two other candidates tried to play clever with distance.
The named aspirants are:
- Omkar Ravindra Pawar, from Nashik
- Suyash Sitaram Khande, from Mumbai
What officials saw on paper:
- Both recorded unusually fast times for the 1,600 metres — fast enough to raise eyebrows.
What CCTV footage later showed:
- Pawar ran only three laps (1,200 metres) but exited the track as if he had completed four.
- Khande went off the track during a lap, took a shortcut through another part of the ground, and then rejoined closer to the finish, making it look like he had done the full distance.
Result: A second FIR was filed at Powai Police Station, booking both for cheating.
Consequences: What Do Booked Candidates Actually Face?
For many aspirants, the fear is immediate: “If I am caught, do I just lose this attempt — or my entire future?”
From current Mumbai and Maharashtra practice, plus older cases:
- Immediate disqualification: Every aspirant booked for cheating in physical or written tests is disqualified from the ongoing recruitment drive.
- Criminal record: FIRs for cheating, cheating by personation, and related offences are registered and investigated. Conviction can mean criminal record and, in some cases, jail time.
- Future recruitment impact: There is no explicit, uniform “lifetime ban” rule published yet for all govt jobs. However, character and antecedent verification for any future police or sensitive-post recruitment will typically pick up past FIRs. Candidates involved in cheating scandals are often quietly screened out at later stages.
- Coaching nexus risk: Where external handlers or coaching classes are involved (e.g., Bluetooth device scams), police often widen the probe to target the network, not just candidates. Candidates then become part of a larger criminal case.
In short: cheating in police recruitment is not a “risk-free jugad.” It can close the door not just on this job, but on many others that require clean antecedents.
Explainer: What Exactly Is RFID — And Why Are Aspirants Trying to Beat It?
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips are tiny electronic tags that store and transmit data when they pass near a reader. In police recruitment physical tests, they are used to record how fast and how far each candidate runs.
How Mumbai Police uses RFID in bharti:
- Each candidate gets two RFID chips, linked to their registration number.
- Chips are tied to the candidate’s ankles or shoes before the race starts.
- RFID readers placed at the start line and finish line (and sometimes at mid-points) record exact crossing times.
- Data goes directly into the computer system — reducing human error or manipulation by stopwatch.
- CCTV cameras monitor the track to cross-check the RFID data.
Why was RFID introduced?
Indian Express reported in 2023 that Mumbai Police adopted RFID because of past malpractices:
- Dummy candidates (someone else running on your behalf)
- Constables allegedly manipulating times for known candidates
- Manual timing manipulation and “adjustment” for favoured aspirants
RFID was meant to make all of that harder.
So how are aspirants still cheating?
- Chip swapping: Two aspirants exchange RFID chips. The better runner ties both chips to his legs (one per ankle) or runs twice — once for himself, once for his friend. The system records his performance for both identities.
- Distance cheating: In multi-lap races, some try to run fewer laps, cut across the field, rejoin the track near the finish line, or enter the track only for the last lap, while their chip is carried near scanners earlier.
RFID records whatever chip crosses the finish line. CCTV is the second lock. Once suspicious timings appear, officers go back to the footage. This is exactly how the Marol February 2026 cheating was caught — because a “collapsed” hospital candidate had already “finished” the race according to the chip.
Past Cases: This Has Happened Before — Not Just Once
Mumbai, Maharashtra, and other states have already seen multiple rounds of RFID and tech-based cheating in police recruitment.
Mumbai (Marol, 2023):
- 16 aspirants booked across several FIRs for swapping RFID chips during 100-metre and 1,600-metre races.
- Two candidates posted identical “world record” level times of 3:42 for 1,600m; chip and CCTV review showed chip swapping and shared laps.
Mumbai (Written exams, 2023 & 2024):
- 30+ people arrested for using devices like pens with GSM SIM cards, spy Bluetooth earpieces, and GSM card transmitters the size of debit cards.
- In one case, a micro-Bluetooth device was embedded so deep in a candidate’s ear canal it needed medical extraction.
Madhya Pradesh (2023 constable exam):
- 17 FIRs across multiple districts after Aadhaar-based biometric manipulation allowed “solvers” (proxy candidates) to take exams.
- An interstate gang allegedly rented login IDs of Aadhaar enrolment agents to clone biometric data.
What Should Happen Next — Beyond Just These Four
For this specific Marol case, Mumbai Police has already registered two FIRs at Powai, identified all four aspirants, and begun investigation using RFID and CCTV evidence. Three next steps would send a clearer message:
- Transparent disqualification + public stance: Mumbai Police should publicly confirm that all four are disqualified, and clarify whether they will be barred from future police recruitments.
- Coaching link investigation: Officers should check whether any coaching class encouraged or planned the method.
- Unified anti-cheating policy across states: With RFID, biometrics, and exam devices being attacked everywhere, there is a case for a national-level guideline on tech safeguards and blacklisting rules.
If You Are an Aspirant Reading This
If you are training for the same bharti, here is the blunt truth:
- The RFID and CCTV system works. It has caught people before. It just caught four more.
- The pressure is real — family expectations, coaching fees, lack of Plan B. But cheating in police recruitment is the worst place to give in to that pressure.
- A single FIR now can quietly shut doors you cannot see yet: police, railways, paramilitary forces, certain state and central posts.
The people who designed the RFID system at Marol are not your enemy. The people offering shortcuts are.
