New Delhi/ Bengaluru: The Delhi Police have arrested a Delhi University graduate and two of his associates for operating 27 fake websites which offered fake Class X, Class XII and other Graduate and Post Graduate certificates of various Universities including the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU). The arrested are Pankaj Arora, Pawiter Singh and Gopal Krishnan, who were involved in producing forged mark sheets and degrees of renowned Universities and School Boards. From Class 10 mark sheet, LLB, B. Tech, MBBS, to MBA degrees, they forged and sold them all.

They had spread their network all over the country and have not even spared KSOU that is struggling to get recognition for its courses from the Universities Grants Commission (UGC).

According to the Delhi Police, 35-year-old Pankaj Arora had opened up a fake education welfare society office in Hari Nagar in New Delhi by the name of SRKM Education and Welfare Society along with his associates. The group operated the fake websites with one cell phone and one e-mail account which made it easy for the investigators to track them down.

The accused also forged MBBS, B.Ed, JBT, ITI mark sheets and certificates along with School certificates from 27 Universities across the country.

Several blank forged certificates along with computers and materials used for preparing the forged mark sheets were recovered. The accused have confessed to have sold thousands of fake degrees and mark sheets of renowned Universities and School Boards. They gave advertisements in newspapers promising students/ clients to provide all sorts of certificates and degrees easily.

In order to convince their clients, they had prepared fake websites of the concerned Universities and School Boards on which the victims verified the authenticity of these documents. The website has claimed to have been approved by the NCERT and Directorate of Higher Education, recognised by the Education Department.

The fake websites are so convincing that victims cannot tell the difference between the genuine and the fake ones. Thousands of people have secured jobs through these forged certificates.

List of some fake websites

•  ksou.info – Karnataka State Open University
• statecouncil.in – Karnataka State Council of

Intermediate and Higher Education

• bseap.org.in – Board of Secondary Education Andhra Pradesh
• alldunivpio.org – University of Allahabad
• upboard.in – UP State Board
• ncte.org.in – Northern Council For Vocational Training
• pcigov.in – Para Medical Council (India)
• cisceresults.org – Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations