In a significant crackdown by the West Zone Task Force of the Hyderabad Commissionerate, three individuals have been arrested for selling forged educational certificates to job aspirants and students. The accused, identified as Shaibaz Khan, Mohammed Abdul Ismail, and Kadari Ramesh, were apprehended in connection with a fake certificate racket. The operation was carried out in collaboration with Masab Tank Police, who seized 15 forged certificates, mobile phones, and cash from the accused.
The arrested individuals include Shaibaz Khan (29), a private worker from Masab Tank, Mohammed Abdul Ismail (30), a barber from Yakutpura, and Kadari Ramesh (52), an advocate from Shalivahana Nagar, Hyderabad, who originally hails from Adilabad.
The investigation began with the arrest of Shaibaz Khan at his home in Masab Tank, where the police found counterfeit B.Com degree certificates from Glocal University. During questioning, Shaibaz admitted to obtaining the certificates from Mohammed Abdul Ismail, who was later arrested at his residence in Yakutpura. Police recovered other fake certificates issued by Monad University from Ismail’s possession.
Kadari Ramesh, an advocate, was identified as a key figure in the racket. He was responsible for connecting clients with the agents and providing the forged documents. Ramesh revealed that the certificates were sourced from Sagar, a suspect believed to be operating a well-established network in Delhi. This network is suspected of offering fake degrees and academic documents across various states via online payments.
The scam primarily targeted dropout students and unemployed youth, offering them forged degrees such as B.Sc, M.Sc, and B.Com certificates from Monad University and semester-wise memos from Glocal University, among others. The racket also included fake certificates from Vignan University.
Police disclosed that the gang charged clients based on the urgency and type of qualification needed, with a special focus on those seeking employment abroad. As the demand grew, particularly among youth desperate for job opportunities, the network expanded its operations.
“This case highlights the desperation among the youth to obtain academic qualifications, and how easily such networks exploit this vulnerability,” a task force official commented.
Authorities have registered a case and are continuing their investigation into the larger network, including efforts to trace the main supplier, Sagar, based in Delhi.
