Durgapur police operating under the Chandrapur district police administration in Maharashtra have dismantled a sophisticated fake degree racket that fabricated and sold counterfeit marksheets and educational certificates of reputed universities for lakhs of rupees. In a targeted operation, law enforcement officers arrested the alleged mastermind of the syndicate, Parimal Baburao Gaurkar, alongside his main accomplice, Akshay Khobragade, from a hotel located in Nagpur. With these two fresh arrests, the total number of individuals apprehended in connection with this extensive educational document forgery case has risen to three. Police are currently subjecting the suspects to detailed interrogation to trace the broader network of brokers and clients.
Nagpur Hotel Arrests and Syndicate Operations
According to police sources, the breakthrough in the case occurred following the arrest of an alleged agent named Vaibhav Sonule two days earlier. Intensive interrogation of Sonule while in police custody unraveled key operational details of the racket, leading investigators directly to the location of Parimal Baburao Gaurkar and Akshay Khobragade in Nagpur. Acting on the intel, Durgapur police raided the hotel in Nagpur and took both suspects into custody. Meanwhile, the police remand of Vaibhav Sonule concluded on Friday, after which he was produced before a local court. Considering the gravity of the offenses, the court remanded Sonule to judicial custody.
The 5 to 10 Lakh Rupee Modus Operandi
Investigating officers revealed that the syndicate relied on a network of field agents who actively scouted for potential buyers seeking easy shortcuts to academic qualifications. These agents targeted individuals looking for employment opportunities or higher education admissions and routed them to the mastermind, Parimal Gaurkar. Depending on customer requirements, the syndicate forged degree certificates, marksheets, and related credentials under the names of prominent institutions in Maharashtra, including Nagpur University, Amravati University, and Gondwana University, as well as universities situated in Karnataka, Rajasthan, and several other states. In exchange for these illegal credentials, the syndicate extorted substantial sums ranging between 5 lakh and 10 lakh rupees per client.
Suspected Usage in Jobs, Admissions, and Promotions
Chandrapur police strongly suspect that the fraudulent certificates purchased from this syndicate have been utilized by buyers to secure employment, gain entry into educational programs, and obtain professional promotions in both public and private sectors. Investigating the exact footprint of these fake documents is currently a primary objective for law enforcement. Authorities are actively working to compile data on institutions where these bogus marksheets and degrees may have been submitted to gain undue advantages, aiming to verify the authenticity of credentials submitted by suspect beneficiaries.
Expanding Scope of Investigation Across States
Following the arrest of Parimal Baburao Gaurkar, police are conducting rigorous questioning to uncover the technical infrastructure behind the forgery operation. Investigators are attempting to identify the printing setups, design equipment, and raw materials used to replicate official university seals and paper formats. Furthermore, police are analyzing communication channels to identify sub-agents, middlemen, buyers, and financial beneficiaries tied to the scam. Officials anticipate that further interrogations will expose additional key figures involved in the racket. The investigation team is also examining the multi-state footprint of the operation to ascertain how far the network extended beyond Maharashtra.
