DU fake marksheets racket: Accused posed as NRIs from Canada

Police said the accused had opened 30 bank accounts with a total bank balance of about Rs 15-20 lakh. The bank transactions, however, exceeded more than Rs 1 crore, police said.

3 min readNew DelhiJan 31, 2018 01:41 AM IST

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Accused sold forged certificates for classes X and XII, as well as graduate and postgraduate degrees. (Express)

The men did not know each other, their parents were kept in the dark about their whereabouts and they hardly socialised. However, the three main accused arrested in the fake degree racket had to pose as NRIs from Canada to keep their 30 bank accounts up and running.

Police said the main accused, Pawiter Singh, used to move across Punjab. “He would not stay in the same location for more than two weeks and kept changing his looks every few months. His parents received mobile alerts if he did not contact them every three-four hours. However, he used to be contacted by bank officials regularly as he had posed as an NRI to evade verification,” said a police officer.

Police said the accused had opened 30 bank accounts with a total bank balance of about Rs 15-20 lakh. The bank transactions, however, exceeded more than Rs 1 crore, police said.

As students asked him if the certificates were genuine, Singh uploaded a Himachal Pradesh address on their website and asked students to send their marksheets and other documents there. “We are yet to raid the premises. But we have found that the office in Himachal Pradesh would verify the documents with their own stamps and send it back to the students. They were verifying their own racket,” the officer said.

Police said that for Class X and XII certificates, the rates would be between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500 each, and the postgraduate degree certificates would be sold at Rs 5,000 each. Police said the relatively low rates were to avoid suspicion of any foul play.

“Many victims are from small villages. Even if they realised that they had been duped of Rs 5,000, they would not approach police,” the officer said. However, Pankaj Arora, the Delhi-based agent who had opened up the SRKM Education and Welfare Society, duped a Rajasthan resident of Rs 1,31,000 for Class X certificates.

Arora threatened the complainant when he started questioning the genuineness of the marksheets, which claimed that he had passed out from the Board of Secondary Education, Andhra Pradesh, police said. “The complainant had paid such an exorbitant amount because Pankaj got greedy. After that, the complainant approached Hari Nagar police station and the scam was unveiled,” the officer said.

Anand Mohan J

Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy. Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free. Expertise and Reporting Beats Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors: National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres. Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA). Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking. Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers. Professional Background Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017. Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh. Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs. Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife. Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance. Digital & Professional Presence Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More

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