Kanpur Police Bust Pan-India Fake Degree Racket Issuing Bogus BPharma Certificates
Kanpur: In a major crackdown, Kanpur Police have uncovered a pan-India fake degree racket allegedly involved in supplying forged educational certificates, including PhD, LLB, BPharma, postgraduate, graduation, and school-level documents without candidates appearing for examinations.
The operation was conducted jointly by the Kidwai Nagar Police and the Special Investigation Team (SIT), leading to the arrest of two alleged masterminds — Manish alias Ravi (40), a resident of Hyderabad, and Arjun Yadav from Unnao. Police officials claimed the accused operated a highly organised “home delivery” network for fake educational documents across several states.
According to Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal, the gang had allegedly been active for several years and catered to candidates seeking fraudulent academic credentials for jobs and admissions.
During raids, police seized nearly 80 fake migration certificates, forged marksheets and degrees, counterfeit university seals, two laptops, and two mobile phones allegedly containing digital records linked to thousands of beneficiaries.
Investigators revealed that the forged documents carried the names of several universities and institutions, including Lingaya’s Vidyapeeth, Mangalayatan University, JS University, Glocal University, Sikkim Professional University, and Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University. Police also alleged that the accused prepared fake migration booklets and forged the seal of a deputy registrar of CSJM University to issue bogus migration certificates.
Police are further probing the financial transactions associated with the racket. Officials stated that around Rs 16 lakh was allegedly transferred into Manish’s account by another accused, while approximately Rs 20 lakh transactions were traced to Arjun Yadav.
Authorities also recovered photographs of Manish with more than 60 Bollywood celebrities and sportspersons. SIT officials are investigating whether such associations were used to gain credibility and attract clients.
Police further alleged that Manish operated an organisation named ‘Global Book of Excellence Award UK London’, which reportedly organised award events in Mumbai, Goa, and Bengaluru honouring celebrities and public personalities. Officials stated that a fifth edition of the event was being planned in Dubai through an individual identified as Tanveer before the operation came under scrutiny.
The SIT is also investigating the possible involvement of Indore-based Sanjay Panjwani, who was allegedly identified by Manish as the person responsible for printing forged degrees and documents.
Police have registered cases against the accused under the UP Gangsters Act, cheating provisions, and other relevant legal sections. Officials said further arrests are likely as the Crime Branch and SIT continue the investigation into the racket.
Notably, around three months ago, Kanpur Police had busted another fake degree racket operating across nine states and seized nearly 900 forged marksheets and documents linked to 14 universities, resulting in the arrest of six accused persons.
According to Careers360 report citing PTI inputs, the investigation is currently underway and authorities are examining the wider network associated with the forged certificate racket.
