Meerut (UP), Aug 12 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Police has dismantled a racket that for years forged and altered marksheets to secure students' admission to higher educational institutions, officials said on Tuesday.
According to the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh, three men, including the alleged mastermind of the racket, have been taken into custody in Meerut.
The accused -- identified as Jitendra Singh, Shivkumar and Nikhil Tomar -- are all residents of Meerut district, STF Additional Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Singh said.
The STF seized one computer, one printer, hard drives, school stamps, forged marksheets for high school and intermediate levels, fake transfer certificates and a car from the accused, the officer said.
Investigators alleged the members of the racket charged students around Rs 10,000 to inflate their grades and get forged marksheets issued, Rs 3,000 for forged transfer certificates, and Rs 10,000-15,000 for backdated marksheets from the Uttar Pradesh State Open School Board -- without the students ever taking an exam.
Police said an associate in Lucknow would prepare the documents, which were then couriered within 10 to 15 days.
The STF believes the network was operating for more than a decade.
A case has been registered at Ganganagar police station under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said. PTI COR KIS ARI
