UP: 7 arrested for selling fake marksheets, extorting Rs 13 lakh from student aspiring to study abroad

PILIBHIT: Police have arrested seven members of a gang that allegedly defrauded youths by promising to send them abroad using fake mark sheets in Uttar Pradesh's Pilbhit, officials said on Monday. The arrested individuals were identified as Narendra Pandey from Bahta Sanwad village, Shahjahanpur district; Simranjeet Singh from Pakdiya Mallpur; Malkit Singh, Kulwant Singh, and Harsimran Singh from Duda village, Ghunghchihai; Malkit Singh from Guladia Balkaranpur, Madhotanda; and Ravindra Singh from Chanduia Ghatampur, Ghunghchihai.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Vikram Dahiya, in a press briefing, said that all the arrested individuals were presented in court and then sent to jail. Teams have been deployed to apprehend two more absconding suspects.

"The gang targeted youths from the Puranpur and Madhotanda areas, extorting large sums of money by promising to facilitate their travel abroad. Police recovered seven mobile phones, three laptops, a car, over 60 fake educational certificates, and cash from the gang members," Dahiya said.

Complaint was filed naming four accused

At Madhotanda police station, a complaint was filed by Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Veerkheda village, naming four of the accused. According to Gurpreet, the fraudsters claimed that sending his younger brother, Pavandeep Singh, abroad would cost Rs 20 lakh. A few days later, they took Rs 5 lakh in cash as an advance, along with Pavandeep's ID, passport, and other documents. They also provided him with a fake graduation mark sheet, despite him having only passed Class 9. When they later refused to proceed, the fraudsters visited the victim's house on February 14, threatened him at gunpoint, and extorted an additional Rs 8 lakh.

Similar complaint in Puranpur

A separate complaint against the fraudsters was also filed in Puranpur, he alleged in the complaint. Led by the ASP, police teams conducted investigations and uncovered the large-scale operation. Seven accused were arrested from different locations linked to Puranpur and Madhotanda police stations. During interrogation, the accused confessed to being involved in this racket for the past five years, scamming students by offering fake marksheets and other forged documents to ease visa approvals.

They primarily targeted students from Hindi-medium backgrounds or those with limited education. The gang even arranged for lookalikes to appear in online interviews on behalf of candidates, the police said. They had connections with IELTS and immigration centres and worked with an associate who fabricated fake fixed deposit receipts, which were used in students’ visa applications, the police said. Police have verified the seized educational certificates with the respective schools and colleges, confirming several as fraudulent, while further investigation is ongoing.