HYDERABAD: In a major breakthrough in the investigation of the fake educational certificates scam spread over four states, Hyderabad city police arrested Dr M Prasahanth Pillai Vice-Chancellor of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan University (SRKU), Bhopal and Dr SS Kushwah, Retired Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of the same varsity.
Police who seized certificates of Madras University, Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamil Nadu, Swamy Vivekananda University, Madhya Pradesh and Glocal University, Uttar Pradesh, are now verifying the role of the staff and members of the management who may have been involved in the scam.
“There are allegations against senior staff members of these universities. If any evidence is found against them, they will be arrested,” said AR Srinivas, Additional Commissioner (Crimes) Hyderabad city police. Srinivas said that a total of 101 fake educational certificates were seized till now, of which 44 belong to SRKU. As many as 24 certificates of Swamy Vivekananda University, Madhya Pradesh, and four certificates of Glocal University, Uttar Pradesh which were seized, were found to be fake.
The verification process to confirm whether the certificates of Madurai Kamaraj University and Madras University in Tamil Nadu, are genuine or fake, is on, he said. According to Srinivas, a disquieting aspect of the scam was that the certificates issued from these universities are genuine. But the candidates who obtained the certificates, had never enrolled themselves with the university or attended the classes or even appeared for the examinations, but mark sheet, transfer certificate, provisional certificate, certificate of migration, degree certificate were issued to the candidates with a genuine signature of the authority concerned and also the university seal.Police also found that there is no record of these students anywhere in the universities but discovered huge financial transactions in the entire process.
In-charge VC, Asst Prof held earlier
SRKU in-charge Vice-Chancellor Dr Sunil Kapoor, who is alleged to have played a key role in the scam, obtained anticipatory bail while Assistant Professor Ketan Singh was arrested earlier. Seven agents of various educational institutions located in Hyderabad have already been arrested. While 19 students who obtained certificates were arrested, parents of six students who obtained fake certificates from the university have obtained anticipatory bail from the court.