Hyderabad: A student has been detained at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad after being deported from the US for submitting fake documents to obtain a visa.
According to a report in TOI, he submitted fraudulent educational certificates. The incident has brought to light a larger scam.
RGIA police held student at Hyderabad airport
The student who is identified as Pakiru Gopal Reddy is a 28-year-old native of Nalgonda district.
Upon arrival at Hyderabad airport on June 1, he was arrested by RGIA police.
Earlier, US immigration authorities in Dallas deported him after discovering his Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) status was inactive. Reddy had been pursuing a master’s degree at Webster University in Missouri.
During interrogation, Reddy admitted to securing his US visa using a fake BSc Computers degree from Madurai Kamaraj University.
Before deportation, student stayed in US for 15 months
The student initially stayed in the US for 15 months before returning to India briefly in 2024.
However, when he attempted to re-enter the US in late May, officials at Dallas airport flagged his documents and sent him back to India.
Reddy alleged that Katoju Ashok, managing director of Sri Dhanalakshmi Overseas Private Limited in Hyderabad, had provided him with the counterfeit certificates. Following the lead, police arrested Ashok on June 2.
Ashok confessed to assisting at least 15 students since 2020 by supplying fake degrees and charging between Rs 80,000 and Rs 1 lakh per student.
The investigation is ongoing.
