A chemistry professor from a Pune-based college has been arrested for allegedly faking a letter claiming that he has been picked for a top science award sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology, said police today, Monday, September 22.

Virendra Singh Yadav, an associate professor at a college in the Wagholi area of Pune, was arrested yesterday, Sunday, September 21, under sections 318 (4) (cheating), 336 (forgery), and other pertinent provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to an official.

According to a complaint filed by a security officer at the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), the ministry recently discovered a letter claiming that Yadav had been selected for the 2025-26 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, PTI reports.

In 2022, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award was renamed as Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar, one of the highest recognitions in the field of science, technology, and innovation.

"During scrutiny, CSIR-HRDC officials found a forged signature of the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Science & Technology in the letter. A probe also revealed that no one had been selected for the said science award for 2025-26," the complaint stated.

The NCL was instructed to do a verification, and a team went to Yadav's college and discovered that he had allegedly falsified the letter in order to advance his career in science, according to police.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) Somay Munde said, "Yadav forged a letter claiming he has been selected for the award, and he also forged the signature of Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Science & Technology Jitendra Singh. We are investigating further in the case.”

“We are also probing if there are any other individuals involved in the case," he added.

The investigating officer in the case, Sub-Inspector Sandip Karpe, informed that Yadav has been placed in police custody till September 26.