Fake degree racket busted, institute founder & others booked

Thane police Tuesday claimed to have busted a fake degree racket allegedly being operated by a Nagpur-based management and engineering institute, and booked its founder-director and other staff members, an official said.

According to police, the Indian Institute of Management and Engineering located in Nagpur, was offering bogus degrees to students and others in lieu of money.

The founder-director of the institute identified as Nayeem, its manager Pallavi Chavan and some other staff members have been booked in this connection, police said.

"The institute has been in operation since years. It would give fake degree certificates to students and others in lieu of money. It would issue certificates of BBA (bachelor of business administration), MBA in production management, diploma in mechanical engineering and BTech, and other degrees," Thane police spokesperson Sukhada Narkar said.

The beneficiaries used to get the mark sheets and degree certificates as per their requirements, she said.

The Crime Branch of Thane police, which was probing a case of fake pharmacy certificates involving a Thane-based institute, came across the bogus certificates issued by the Nagpur institute and initiated a separate investigation into it, Narkar said.

Manpada police station in Dombivli has booked the accused under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document), Narkar said, adding that nobody has been arrested so far.

According to police, fake certificates would enable the beneficiaries to get jobs in private as well as public sector.