Private varsity in Solan sold 50,000 fake degrees: SIT

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[google-translator]

With the investigation into multi-crore fake degree scams on the conclusive stage, sleuths have come across 50,000 bogus degrees sold by Manav Bharti University in Solan.

“From the records we have so far concluded that 45,000 fake degrees were sold by the university and its touts spread in various states. The number could be more. About 5,000 more degrees are being scrutinised,” said an official of the Special Investigating Team (SIT). “The numbers could be more. We have come across lots of digital evidence suggesting that more degrees were sold,” he said.

The probe revealed that each degree related to technical subjects was sold to students within and outside Himachal Pradesh from 1 lakh to 3 lakh. The SIT team during the investigation rounded up a Jammu-based agent of the university who struck deals locally for selling the fake degrees. The SIT headed by additional DGP (CID) N Venugopal has four teams looking into the financial part — land procurement, digital evidence, inter-state linkages as well as identification of fake degrees. The sleuths scanned more than 60 hard disks to acquire information.

They found that the manager of Manav Bharti University sold degrees outside the state through “agents” who in return got handsome commissions. In a majority of cases, buyers paid cash for degrees to these agents who provided details of the candidates to the university for making the fake degrees. Sleuths were sent to seven states, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Visits were also made to Jammu, Delhi, Chandigarh and Kashmir to trace the whereabouts of the agents.

The probe found that the university enrolled more than 95,000 students in different courses. The fake degree scam was unearthed in February 2019, a year after the University Grants Commission (UGC) received an anonymous complaint about the alleged sale of more than 5 lakh degrees by two private universities in HP, MBU in Solan and APG in Shimla. The UGC then apprised the state government of the matter and sought appropriate action against the institutes. A case under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against university officials for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy on March 3.

Manav Bharti University chairman Raj Kumar Rana, registrar of the university KK Singh, two university officials, Anupama Thakur and Munish Goel, were arrested in March 2021.

Of the 440-crore properties belonging to Rana and his family, those valuing 194.74 crore are linked to the proceeds of the crime and have been attached. His wife and daughter are in Australia. Investigating agencies have stepped up efforts to bring them back to India.


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