Delhi Cops Bust Fake Degree Racket, 5 Arrested, Forged Documents Seized

Delhi Police has busted a large-scale fake degree racket and arrested five people for their alleged involvement in fabricating and distributing forged academic certificates, an official on Friday said.

The operation has led to the recovery of hundreds of counterfeit documents from multiple universities across India, police said.

"The accused were running a highly organised syndicate that operated through coaching centres and educational consultancies, primarily in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), offering fake and backdated degrees, mark sheets and migration certificates in exchange for hefty payments from students," said Special Commissioner of Police (CP), Crime Branch, Devesh Chandra Srivastva.

The officer said that 228 forged mark sheets, 27 fake degree certificates and 20 counterfeit migration certificates purportedly issued by various universities across the country were recovered during the operation.

"In addition, 20 mobile phones and six laptops were seized, which upon forensic inspection, revealed more than 5,000 to 5,500 soft copies of similar fake academic documents, including degrees in BA, B.Sc, B.Com, B.Tech, BAMS, B.Ed, MBA and MA," he added.

The operation was initiated after a team received credible information regarding certain institutions in Delhi and surrounding areas offering fake degrees in exchange for money, police said.

"Acting on this tip, a team first apprehended Vicky Harjani, the alleged kingpin of the racket and owner of Paramhans Vidyapeeth in Netaji Subhash Place (NSP). A search of his vehicle and office premises led to the recovery of 75 forged academic certificates linked to universities in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Sikkim, Meghalaya and Tamil Nadu," said the Special CP.

Harjani's interrogation led police to four more alleged members of the syndicate, identified as Vivek Gupta, Satbir Singh, Narayan Jee, and Avnish Kansal, all of whom are proprietors of different education centres operating in Delhi, NCR and other states, he added.

The syndicate operated in a highly decentralised manner with over 20-25 coaching centres believed to be part of the broader network, said police sharing details about the network.

These centres offered tailor-made fake documents to students seeking backdated admission, migration or graduation documents for various academic and professional purposes, they said.

"The accused promoted their illegal services using social media platforms and as well as through printed flyers distributed near coaching hubs and student-populated areas. The documents had an appearance close to genuine ones issued by universities," said Srivastva.

They targeted students, who were looking for shortcuts to obtain degrees or those who had failed to complete their academic programmes but needed certificates to apply for jobs or higher education, he added.

The officer said their modus operandi was that once a student approached one of the centres or was contacted via telecallers or online advertisements, their academic and personal details were collected.

"These details were then forwarded to members of the network specialising in document fabrication. The syndicate would produce forged degrees that closely resembled genuine certificates issued by recognised universities," he added.

The accused also used false names and identities to communicate with clients and evade law. The money charged varied depending on the degree, university and urgency of delivery, police said.

Sharing profile of the accused, the officer said that Vicky Harjani, the prime accused, studied till class X and ran Paramhans Vidyapeeth in NSP and Rohini. He employed several tele-callers to lure students with the promise of quick degrees.

Vivek Gupta, educated up to class 12, was running six to seven educational centres in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. He was found to be a repeat offender and is wanted in a case registered against him at New Shimla Police Station in Himachal Pradesh, he added.

The officer said that Satbir Singh, also a class 12 pass, ran the Gurukul Education Centre in Haryana's Faridabad with a business partner.

Narayan Jee, who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, was operating mainly in Bihar but had recently expanded his operations to Delhi and NCR, he added.

The officer further said that Avnish Kansal, a B.Tech graduate, was operating remotely and is currently lodged in a jail in Rajasthan's Jaipur. Kansal has two previous cases of similar nature registered against him in Rajasthan, he added.

"We also believe that many university employees may have facilitated the racket by providing access to formats, templates or confidential academic records. Further investigation is on into the matter," the officer said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)