Cops bust Rs 1.5 cr fake degree racket run by PhD holder

Cops bust Rs 1.5 cr fake degree racket run by PhD holder "Name any course and you will get a degree from a recognised university." The Gomtinagar police operation on Dec 21, which led to the exposure of a well, oiled interstate racket, was a surprise to everyone. The gang allegedly made academic qualifications easily available. Job seekers got fake degrees and marksheets from the gang, which was led by the kingpin, a PhD holder, and was highly educated. The eastern zone crime and surveillance team of Lucknow police arrested three men accused of running the fake degree syndicate. 

"The investigation of the case which was initially presumed to be simple led to the discovery of a large- scale forged academic document supply network, " said Shashank Singh, deputy commissioner of police (East). Besides, the police have recovered 923 forged marksheets and degrees from at least 25 universities, along with 15 forged university seals, laptops, hard disks, printers, registers, and Rs 2 lakh in cash. An FIR was registered at the Gomtinagar police station under various sections of the BNS.

The police arrested three individuals who were identified as Akhilesh Kumar. He has a PhD in sociology from a private university in Odisha. Satendra Dwivedi (32) has an MSc in chemistry from a government university in Kanpur, and Saurabh Sharma (35) holds a diploma from a private institute. The police said the gang that investigators were after, was charging anywhere between Rs 25, 000 and Rs 4 lakh for 'ready, made' degrees, depending on the course and the credibility of the university. The courses included BTech, BCA, MCA, MSc, and BA. 

"The accused targeted candidates who were not eligible for jobs or higher education, " the DCP said. "They also assured fake degrees that look real and can pass verification." According to assistant commissioner of police, Gomtinagar, Brij Narayan Singh, the certificates were so well made. The police fabricated documents in the names of different institutions like Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, North East Christian University, Maharaja Agrasen Himalayan Garhwal University, Kalinga University, JRN Rajasthan Vidyapeeth and Sabarmati University. The arrest of various digital devices and financial records indicates the existence of detailed client lists and payment trails. "We are going through the digital information to find the beneficiaries who used fake degrees to get jobs, " said a senior officer.

HR experts say such rackets thrive because many private companies rely solely on submitted documents. Police are coordinating with universities and employers to trace forged documents already in circulation.