Fake degrees racket unearthed, kingpin held in Jammu

Police today claimed to have unearthed an inter-state racket involving the supply of fake degrees of different  universities and school boards with the arrest of the alleged kingpin. On specific information, a police party intercepted a vehicle at Gharota in Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu yesterday and arrested the kingpin of the racket, Neeraj Sapolia of Muthi area, they said. Police recovered 21 fake degrees and mark sheets of higher secondary to graduation, they said adding the racketeers had their area of operation in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and were selling fake degrees to gullible youth for an amount ranging from Rs15,000 to Rs65,000.Preliminary questioning of the accused indicated that Sopolia with the help of his other members of the racket was engaged in supplying the fake degrees to youth, they said adding there is a possibility that many youth may have taken admission for higher studies on the basis of these fake degrees. A case has been registered at Gharota Police Station under different sections of Ranbir Penal code (RPC) and further investigations are going on.Meanwhile, police parties have also been deputed to Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to nab other members of the racket, they added.