KOCHI: Kochi firm Orion Solutions, which provided the fake BCom degree certificate from Kalinga University to former SFI leader Nikhil Thomas, had earlier duped many people by issuing fake certificates of other varsities, it has emerged.
In fact, much before the case involving Nikhil was reported, the Ernakulam Central police had booked the firm and arrested its proprietor Saju Sasidharan for cheating a youth by promising a degree from Maharastra University.
It was in November 2020 that a 30-year-old Thottappally native was offered admission and a degree from Maharastra University by Orion Solutions, then known as Orion Eduwing. “The victim wanted to complete a degree course. He came to know about Orion Eduwing based on Palarivattom from social media and approached the firm. He was offered admission to Maharastra University and was told classes will be arranged in Kochi and a certificate provided after a namesake examination. He was promised an original degree certificate from the university,” said a police official.
Believing the lies, the victim paid the firm Rs 50,000. However, the agency neither arranged admission nor gave any degree certificate to the victim. In August 2022, the Palarivattom police registered a case against Orion Eduwing for cheating and criminal breach of trust and arrested proprietor Saju.
“The agency had also arranged fake certificates of various universities and institutions for people looking for jobs abroad, in exchange for anywhere between Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh.
The certificates looked exactly identical to the original ones. Since certificate verification is rare abroad, the fake ones could be used to get jobs,” said another officer.
Fifteen cases were registered against Orion Solutions in the past years for fraud in Kochi city alone, at the Ernakulam North, Ernakulam Central, Palarivattom and Kannamaly police stations. Cases were registered against it in other districts too.
Saju was arrested by the Alappuzha police recently in connection with the fake degree certificate provided by Nikhil in Kayamkulam MSM College to join the MCom course. The Kochi City police will share the evidence it collected with the Alappuzha police.