Hyderabad: Three individuals were arrested in a fake educational certificate scam for selling forged degrees to to job aspirants and students.
The accused were nabbed in a crackdown by the west zone task force of the Hyderabad commissionerate, along with Masab Tank police, where as many as 15 forged certificates, mobile phones, and money were recovered from the accused.
The arrested people have been identified as Shaibaz Khan, 29, a private worker of Masab Tank, Mohammed Abdul Ismail, 30, a Yakutpura barber and Kadari Ramesh, 52, an advocate who stays in Shalivahana Nagar, Hyderabad, and hails from Adilabad.
Racket unearthed during raid in Masab Tank
The probe started with the arrest of Shaibaz Khan from his house in Masab Tank. Police recovered counterfeit B.Com degree certificates of Glocal University from him. During questioning, Shaibaz admitted that he obtained the documents from Mohammed Abdul Ismail.
Later, Ismail was taken from his home in Yakutpura, where the officials found other fake certificates issued by Monad University. He conceded that he was procuring these certificates through advocate Kadari Ramesh.
Ramesh, according to police, was instrumental in bringing the clients in touch with the agents and handing over the doctored documents. He brought to light that the certificates were procured from one Sagar, who is said to be based in Delhi. Sagar is suspected to be a well-structured network operating to provide fake degrees across states via online modes of payment.
The racket targeted particularly dropout students and unemployed youth with the hope of getting jobs or going abroad. The forged degrees were B.Sc, M.Sc, and B.Com certificates from Monad University, and semester-wise memos from Glocal University, among others. Vignan University’s sample certificate was also among the seized items.
Demand-driven racket, say police
Police explained that the gang charged the candidates according to the urgency and qualifications needed. As the demand grew among the job seekers, particularly those seeking employment abroad, the network took advantage and expanded its operations.
“This case serves as a reminder of how easily others take advantage of the desperation of the youth for academic qualifications,” a task force official commented.
The authorities have lodged a case and are probing the larger network, including tracing the main supplier, Sagar, in Delhi.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Syeda Faiza Kirmani | 
