Central Crime Branch cops bust fake marks card rackets

Bengaluru: Sleuths of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) on Wednesday busted a fake marks card racket and arrested a 42-year-old owner of an educational institution based in Mahalakshmi Layout.

The accused, Srinivas Reddy, who owns Sri Venkateshwara Educational Institute, masterminded the fake marks card and degree certificate racket. He sold fake marks cards of over 20 open universities across the country for Rs 40,000 to Rs 2 lakh each, the police said.

The CCB got a tipoff about the fake marks card racket at the Sri Venkateshwara Educational Institute. On Tuesday late night, a CCB team raided the institute and found marks card and degree certificate printing material.

They recovered over 45 seals belonging to several open universities across the country, printed marks cards and printing material. The police also seized several fake degree certificates of around 20 open universities that the accused had created, said Mr Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner (Crime).

The police said that Reddy had cheated several people by assuring them of marks cards and degree certificates from open universities through correspondence courses. Little did people know that he was creating marks cards and degree certificates at his own institute and was claiming them to be from the universities.

The police said that he offered degrees in BA, B.com, BBA, BCA, BSc, MA, M.Com, MBA, MCA, BE, BTech, ME, M.Tech, Diploma, D. Pharma, B.Pharma, M.Pharma, B Ed, M.Ed. SSLC & PUC.

The police said that Reddy had come to Bengaluru 14 years ago and had worked as an IT consultant. About five years ago, he started the Sri Venkateshwara Educational Institute which provided career counselling services and training for those pursuing various degrees.

The police booked Reddy under Sections 420 (cheating) and 419 (cheating by impersonating) of the IPC.