Fake degrees gang busted

Chandigarh, March 20
The special investigation team (SIT) of the UT police today arrested nine members of a gang operating from tricity who were providing fake degrees of universities, fake birth and death certificates, marriage certificates, income tax documents, bank documents as well as ration cards to a large umber of clients against a heavy price. The certificates were being used for obtaining visas, jobs as well as other purposes. The total number of certificates recovered from the gang is over 1,000. In addition, stamps pertaining to the Food and Supplies Department, UT, and marriage certificates were also recovered.

Prominent among the universities and educational institutions whose certificates were forged by the accused include Panjab University, Punjab Technical University, Andhra Pradesh University, Punjab School Education Board, Haryana State Education Board, CBSE and the Delhi Board. In addition, the gang members are also adept in forging certificates of National Trade Certificates, fake passbooks of the State Bank of India, Fake ILETS certificates, voter cards, driving licences as well as income tax returns.

A case under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B of the IPC has been registered.

The police has not ruled out the involvement of employees of the universities in the scam and their role was being investigated.

The police said it had deployed a decoy customer to unearth the gang and the exact number and profile of their clients who purchased the fake degrees from them was being investigated.

Those arrested included Manjit Singh, Amandeep Gora, Sushil Kumar, Surinder Saini, Sandeep Kumar Kokhar, Puran Chand, Varinder Kumar, Raman Sharma and Sushant Saini.

Out of the arrested, Raman and Varinder, Mohali residents are the prime accused. They used to give advertisements through a website and then meet their clients at different places.

DSP Anil Joshi said the forged certificates were being provided at a cost ranging from Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000 while the accused used to charge Rs 30,000 for other documents.

The police said the clients were mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. In addition, involvement of four companies in the scam had also come to light. These four include I.S. InfoTech, Sector 35, Chandigarh, Way to fly Company, Sector 34-A, Global Communication, Sector 70, Mataur, Sohana in Mohali and Bhogal Communication, also in village Sohana. The accused used to prepare documents while sitting in these cyber centres.

In addition, the SIT has also recovered two laptops, two scanners-cum-printer, one coloured printer, sheets (used for certificates and documents), one cutter (used to cut the papers according to the size of required certificates/degrees) which was used to prepare the fake certificates.

Bogus stamps belonging to superintendent, District and Sessions Judge, Ludhiana, examiner, Copying Branch,

District and Sessions Judge, Ludhiana, Registrar Birth and Death, Registration Unit, Municipal Committee, Hisar, Union Bank of India, Phase-1 Mohali, Krishana Auto Sales, Khajuria, Phagwara, Registrar Death and Birth, Kharar, Executive Magistrate, Karnal, Principal, Guru Nanak Dev Polytechnic, Bidar, Inspector Food and Supply, Assandh, Karnal, State Bank of Patiala, Phase 10, Mohali Assistant. Food and Supplies officer, UT, Chandigarh, Punjab National Bank, Patiala Punjabi University and Kurukshetra University were also recovered.