Police busted a fake certificate racket and arrested six persons. Computers and about 400 fake HSC certificates were found from their possession.
IIC of Malkangiri police station Anirudha Routray produced the arrested persons and the seized certificates before the media. Routray said a police team raided a DTP centre at Anantapur in Soro area of Balasore district and arrested two persons and the remaining four were arrested from Malkangiri.
The arrested persons were identified as Bijay Kumar Nayak and Madhabananda Nayak of Anantpur in Balasore, Rama Chandra Mondal, Anil Kumar Khara, Binod Desia Nayak and Deepankar Halder of Malkangiri.
Describing the modus operandi of the racketeers, police said one Amar Nayak of Anantpur used to print fake HSC certificates with fake seal of Board of Secondary Education (BSE) and supply those to the four persons from Malkangiri through Anantpur racketeers since 2007. They used to sell each certificate for Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000. So far, the accused have sold about 200 fake certificates across the State. Some of the fake certificate holders were appointed in government organisations and some are still continuing their studies, police said.
However, the kingpin of the racket, Amar Nayak, is still at large as he went underground after the raid on his DTP centre and arrest of two of his people.
Meanwhile, the police are on the job to identify the fake HSC certificate holders who have got appointment by producing the forged certificates. With this racket coming to light, the chances of false caste certificate racket in the district can not be ruled out, police said.