PSEB officer charged for issuing fake medical certificates

Police in Phase-8 have charged four individuals for issuing fake Class 12 medical verification certificates. This scheme helped two candidates obtain D-Pharmacy licenses, which are needed to run chemist shops in Punjab. The accused include Ajay Kumar Sharma from Mansa, Kuldeep Singh and Kishan Singh from Ferozepur, and Avninderpal Singh, a senior assistant at the Punjab State Education Board (PSEB) in Mohali. The case emerged after a complaint from PSEB’s assistant secretary, Harpreet Singh. The trouble began when the Punjab Pharmacy Council discovered conflicting verification results for the candidates’ medical certificates. Initially, on July 13, 2023, the PSEB confirmed the certificates as genuine. However, after further inspections in August, it was revealed they were fake. An investigation showed that records had been tampered with and some pages from the verification register were missing. It was found that Kishan Singh had helped both candidates obtain fake certificates and even prepared a false verification report. Ajay was reported to have paid Kishan ₹ 65,000 for these services. Avninderpal received 34 verification cases on August 9, 2023, but only processed nine that day. All four accused face charges including cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. Police continue to explore the involvement of other PSEB staff.