New Delhi, March 13 A Delhi Police constable stationed at the Shaheen Bagh police station was arrested on Friday for allegedly being involved in a racket that produced fake Police Clearance Certificates (PCCs), an official said.
The racket came to light during an investigation into a case of narcotics trafficking in southeast Delhi, he said.
According to police, the accused constable, identified as Arun, a 2017-batch personnel originally from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, had allegedly been producing forged PCCs with the help of his associate, Tushar, a resident of Pilkhuwa in Uttar Pradesh, who had previously worked as a "mitra" (assistant) for several police stations.
The duo allegedly charged around Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 to produce the forged PCCs and would deliver the documents within a few hours, police said.
In contrast, a genuine PCC is issued online by the Delhi Police Special Branch after verification and usually takes 10-15 days to be processed.
The racket surfaced after the district's narcotics unit apprehended an alleged drug trafficker, identified as Ashish, and recovered around 18 grams of MDMA from his possession. During questioning, police conducted a raid at a rented accommodation linked to him in the Sunlight Colony area.
During the search of the premises, police found constable Arun and Tushar staying there for the past six months on a monthly rent of Rs 35,000.
Further investigation of the house led to the recovery of a large number of forged PCCs, blank forms, and several official-looking stamps allegedly bearing the names of Delhi Police station house officers (SHOs), officials from Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, and other police officers.
Police also recovered a fake Delhi Police identity card allegedly belonging to Tushar, posing as a constable. Investigators suspect that the accused may have produced hundreds of fake PCCs, with several such certificates found stored on their mobile phones, police added.
Officials said that two separate FIRs have been registered at Sunlight Colony police station—one in connection with the narcotics recovery and another for impersonation, forgery, and the production of fake PCCs.
Police sources claimed that a payment for purchasing the recovered MDMA was allegedly made through the constable's mobile phone.
During the raid, police also found a foreign woman, believed to be a resident of Uzbekistan, staying at the rented accommodation. Police are probing her possible links with the accused and examining whether she had any connection with narcotics trafficking or other illegal activities.
A Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) is an official document issued by the Delhi Police Special Branch certifying that the applicant has no criminal record. It is commonly required for overseas employment, visa applications, immigration procedures, private jobs, and tenant verification.
While the official application fee for a PCC is Rs 10, the accused allegedly charged up to Rs 2,000 for the forged documents, police sources said.
Meanwhile, police also pointed out that a sub-inspector, Rakesh Kumar, formerly posted in the Crime Branch and allegedly involved in drug trafficking activities in the Sunlight Colony area, has been absconding for several years. He was dismissed from service in March 2025 but is yet to be arrested.