One detained for running fake marks card racket

Bengaluru: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police in Bengaluru detained the Managing Director of a tech firm, Ssystems Quest Private Ltd, for operating a fake marks card racket as part of a significant crackdown into educational fraud. Vikas Bhagat, the accused, is alleged to have given students who didn't show up for exams fake marks cards and certificates.

When a 26-year-old student entered the suspect's office with the goal of enrolling in a correspondence course to continue his studies, the fraud scheme was discovered. The office staff persuaded him to pay them Rs 25,000, promising to provide him fake certificates and mark sheets without requiring him to complete any exams. The incident was reported to the police by the student, and a case was formally registered on January 3. The police confiscated 6,800 fake mark cards from various universities, 22 laptops and computers, and 13 mobile phones during a series of coordinated raids at New Quest Technologies in Rajajinagar, Ssystem Quest in JP Nagar, Aarohi Institute in Chandrappa Layout, Vishwa Jyothi College in Dasarahalli, and Benaka Correspondence College in Vijayanagar. When the company's premises and those of its partners were investigated, it was found that, although being registered as a computer and software development company, the firm did not provide any services related to education. Vikas Bhagat, the accused, had been misleading students into thinking he had contacts with prestigious universities and could give them the fake degrees.

According to investigations, Bhagat was charging students between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 for each forged document. The false mark sheets bore the names of various universities, including Sikkim University, Annamalai University, Gitam University, BSIT University, Kuvempu University, Mangalore University, and Bangalore University.