Kareer-maker arrested for forging documents

MUMBAI, SEPT 15: The Antop Hill police station has arrested the owner of a coaching class at Vile Parle W for distributing fake documen...

MUMBAI, SEPT 15: The Antop Hill police station has arrested the owner of a coaching class at Vile Parle W for distributing fake documents. Sudharshan Kumar Harbanslal Luthra, owner of Kareer College, was arrested on September 10 after he was found to be forging documents and securing admissions for students in the University of Mumbai8217;s Institute of Distance Education IDE.

According to Antop Hill police, Luthra would give out advertisements in newspapers and even on cable channels, proclaiming that students who had failed in the first or second year could secure admissions in the third year without having to repeat an year. He also assured he could secure admissions for students who had failed the Secondary School Certificate SSC exam or the Higher Secondary Certificate HSC exam. Pamphlets to this effect were also distributed. The offer, of course, came with a high price tag: Rs 30,000 for securing admissions in the third year and Rs 50,000 if a student wanted a dummy candidate to take the exam. Forstudents who didn8217;t want to study at all, Luthra even arranged for degree certificates, police said.

Luthra8217;s Kareer College essentially functioned as an institution for attracting failed students. No classes were there when police raided his coaching class. Instead, there was Luthra8217;s cabin and a reception room for students to wait. Students were told they could get admissions anywhere by just paying up.

The college was started in 1963, but it is not clear if Luthra was involved in the fake document racket from then onwards, police officers said. Luthra8217;s interrogation was held up because immediately after his arrest he complained of chest pain, said DCP Zone IV R G Kadam. Luthra was then admitted to Sion Hospital, he added.

Incidentally, the college8217;s prospectus shows Luthra garlanding various prominent politicians, police said. He is also said to have won many awards and is a member of high-profile clubs and societies.

Luthra8217;s involvement came to light when Antop Hill police arrested SandeepGosave and Pradeep Khetale on July 31 for manufacturing and distributing fake documents of Mumbai University as well as HSC and SSC documents. In a raid conducted at Sangam Nagar, police found blank marksheets of Mumbai University along with other documents. Gosave used to supply documents on a contract basis, police said.

Following their interrogation, seven more people were arrested, and laser printers, typing machines, bogus certificates and rubber stamps were recovered. One Chandrashekar Sapat, who was also arrested, was found to be colluding with Luthra. Sapat had been approached for making the documents.

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First of all, the students8217; particulars were noted but the addresses given in the admission forms were fake. Moreover, in computers confiscated by police, 259 files were found which had printed proformas of documents such as Transfer Certificates, Leaving Certificates, No-Objection Certificates and signatures of officials from various colleges and also Mumbai University. The vice-chancellor8217;s andthe governor8217;s signatures were forged in the documents.

As Luthra used to deal with the University directly and others just functioned as middlemen, only his interrogation will reveal if any university staff is involved, Antop Hill police said. The investigating officers of the case are inspector Ravindra Patkar, sub-inspector Girish Gode and sub-inspector Ashok Ghadigaonkar.