ED raids UP's medical college over fake degree racket link

However, the operation has created panic among current and former students of Monad University, who are now anxious about the authenticity of their academic credentials.

Now, the ED officials are investigating how many medical institutions are associated with expanding the fake degree network of Monad University.

Also read- Fake Degrees Sold for Lakhs, Real ones rented to labs: UP Massive racket exposed

Recently, the ED officials conducted raids at Saraswati Medical College in Unnao and the residence of principal of Saraswati College in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow. During the search, the officials sealed the administrative building and seized computers, hard drives, and financial records.

As per India Today news report, the preliminary investigation of the ED suggested that certain documents and academic records linked to Saraswati Medical College may have originated from the fake network associated with Monad University. The officials are now verifying whether students or staff from the Unnao college benefited from or facilitated the fraudulent certification process.

Due to the seriousness of the investigation, entry to other areas of the college has been restricted, though the emergency department remains open. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were deployed to secure the premises. Similar searches are ongoing in Ghaziabad, Noida, and other cities.

The fake degree scam at Monad University first came to light in 2023 when the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) unearthed the racket. It was found that students who had failed in other universities were paying between Rs 50,000 and Rs 2 lakh to obtain forged degrees and marksheets. The entire process was conducted via WhatsApp and other digital platforms, with payments made through UPI, cash, or bank transfers. Once payment was received, the counterfeit degrees were couriered within two days, as per UNI report. 

An earlier investigation by the Special Task Force (STF) estimated that the racket had generated Rs 18–22 crore over five years. The Income Tax Department is now tracing the final destinations of the illicit funds.

So far, the STF arrested ten individuals, including Monad University Chairman Vijendra Singh Hooda, Pro-Chancellor Nitin Kumar Singh, and several employees, Sunny Kashyap, Kuldeep, Vipul Chaudhary, Imran, and Sandeep Kumar, who were directly involved in fabricating fake academic documents.

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