HYDERABAD: In a worrying trend that highlights the growing sophistication of academic fraud, the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has uncovered a racket involving students using forged academic credentials to secure student visas for the United States and the United Kingdom.In the past two weeks alone, four individuals were intercepted at the airport-despite having cleared formal visa interviews at foreign embassies-with fake degrees, some sourced from dubious education consultants.These candidates had successfully obtained student visas and enrolled in foreign universities. However, the deception unravelled during additional checks by BoI personnel before departure.
The first breakthrough came on June 1 with the detention of Pakeeru Gopal Reddy, a 28-year-old from Parepalligudem in Nalgonda district. Gopal Reddy had earlier entered the US on a student visa with a forged BSc (computers) degree from Madurai Kamraj University and enrolled at Webster University, Missouri, in Sept 2023. After spending 15 months in the US, he returned to India citing personal reasons.However, in May 2024, during his attempt to re-enter the US, he was deported from Dallas airport due to an inactive Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) record. Upon landing at RGIA, BoI officials subjected Gopal to intense questioning and document verification, which revealed his degree was fake.He confessed to obtaining it through Katoju Ashok, an agent operating under Sri Dhanalakshmi Overseas Private Limited in BN Reddy Nagar, Vanasthalipuram. Gopal was arrested on June 1, and Ashok a day later. ‘Cases indicate role of education consultants’ The arrests made us realise that candidates were securing fake degrees through certain education consultants and managing to obtain visas to the US and the UK. We decided to monitor this trend closely,” a BoI official said.Following this, BoI officials intensified scrutiny and intercepted three more students en route to the UK.Mohammad Shahabazuddin, 26, of Hyderabad, was caught on June 9 with a fake BCom degree from Acharya Nagarjuna University (2021), a forged Intermediate certificate (2017), and bogus BTech certificates from two engineering colleges in Hyderabad.Shahabazuddin admitted to purchasing a fake SSC certificate from one Yakub in the city for Rs 1.5 lakh and fabricating the rest using software. He secured a UK student visa using these forged documents. A case was filed on June 10, and Shahabazuddin was taken into custody.Mohammed Azhar Hussain, 25, from Seetharampuram in Miryalaguda, was stopped on June 10 while boarding a flight to the UK via Dubai. Azhar confessed to using fake certificates from Capital University, Jharkhand, and a forged job letter arranged by Bharat from Emerge Migration Overseas Educational Consultancy in Miryalaguda. BoI filed a police complaint, and Azhar Hussain was remanded in custody.Srikanth Marthala, 26, from Guntur, was intercepted on June 12 with a fake BTech degree from Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation. He admitted to paying Rs 40,000 to Mohan Krishna, a Guntur-based agent, for the certificate. A case was registered, and Srikanth was also remanded in judicial custody.RGIA police, suspecting a broader pattern, are now expanding the probe to identify and arrest more agents and consultants involved in this fraudulent network. Investigations are ongoing.
