Fake Diplomas, Legal Visas

An individual from Bangalore was proven to have a fake diploma and falsified job experience. That didn't stop him from getting an H-1B visa.
 

 

Fake Diploma

In order to get an H-1B visa, it is necessary to have a college degree. The investigation below proves this diploma is a forgery.
 
 

 

 

Verification of Diploma

Meerut University was contacted by ABC Investigations and was asked if the diploma was legitimate.  Meerut verified that the Surajit never attended this university.
 
 

Translation from Hindi

Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut
(Formerly MeerutUniversity)

Registered

Sub: Verification of Result

To,
C.B.I.
Main Branch
New Delhi

Dear Sir,
Please refer to your letter no
........ Dated.....22/2/2000.. regarding verification of result of the candidate under reference.
It is informed the Shir/Km/Smt ....Surajit Chakravarty.... S/O/D/O ...P.K.C.....has passed ...B.COM..examination, Roll No. 1975620....year...1989 by obtaining ... X....marks out of ....X ... max. marks in ... X... division according to the record of the University.

The above mentioned roll no. was not found in the chart of 1989. It seems that the Degree of the above mentioned candidate is fake.

(signed)
Registrar

 

 

The Investigation

Most of these fake diplomas are never investigated - this one was. ABC Investigations was hired to see if Surajit's documents were legitimate. Here are the sordid details.
 
 

 

March, 2001

 

INVESTIGATION REPORT
Case File - Surajit Ckakravarty

Aim and Objective

Pursuant to your requirement we were assigned to conduct background investigations to ascertain authenticity of the certificates given by the subject (Surajit Chakravorty).

INVESTIGATION REPORT

Our report is based on physical visits, investigations and discussions with Mr Yogendra Nath Gupta Deputy Registrar, Mr Negi Clerk of Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut. This was formerly Meerut University.

We contacted the above on pretexts. When Mr Negi was shown the certificates he immediately responded saying that the certificates are false. According to him the enrolment number should be a six-digit number and not a seven-digit number as seen in the certificates.

Records from 1986 to 1990 were checked physically. Mr Surajit Chakravorty's name did not appear anywhere. His enrolment numbers do not exist anywhere.

The above was physically verified by Mr Negi the clerk and a certificate to that effect was issued which was signed by Mr Yogendra Nath Gupta the Deputy Registrar and Mr Negi himiself.

Photocopy of the original document was notarized by Brijesh Oberoi, Oath Commissioner, Delhi High Court.

 

 
 

 

Inflated Job Experience

It's always a good idea to fill resumes with proven job experience. City Soft was a sham company that didn't seem to do anything. Perhaps it was a front so that these H-1B candidates could claim they had computer experience.

Notice that City Soft wasn't very good at selling photocopiers but they seemed very adept at using them to copy diplomas.
 
 

INVESTIGATION REPORT
 Case File - Jamshedpur

AIM AND OBJECTIVE

Pursuant to your requirement we were assigned to conduct background investigations to ascertain authenticity of the existence of the company City Soft at 32, Old Circuit House Area, Jamshedpur and obtain copies if the said company has filed any Income tax returns.

INVESTIGATION REPORT

Our report is based on investigations and pretext visits and discussions with various people working in companies existing at 32 Old Circuit House like Carier Launcher (Training Centre), Manipal Institute of Computer Institute STD/ISD shop. Softline Computer Education, City Computer etc.

Discussions with all the above revealed that they were not aware of the existence of any company by the name of City Soft. 99% of the companies we interacted with were new here.

After meeting a lot of people our team met with Mr. Amrit Lal Chachra, a Punjabi Gentleman. He is the owner of the building 32, Circuit House and all companies running there on rent. He revealed revealed that -

City Soft Company existed at 32 Circuit House but closed down on 14th April, 1999. He took out a register of the renters that he maintained. City Soft was run by one Mr A.K. Pandey initially worked for Mr Chachra as a salesman selling photocopier machines in 1997. He was drawing a salary of Rs 4000 from Mr Chachra. He was not able to sell a single Photocopier Machine.  After sometime in 1997 A.K. Pandey took one of the offices on rent from Mr. Chachra and was paying him a monthly rent of Rs 4500. He started a company called Guide Engineer in Partnership with somebody from abroad. He then closed down this firm and started a company called City Soft in 1998. The company did not do well. Pandey said he dealt in Computers but Chachra had not seen a single computer in the office. The company did not do any business and closed down in April 1999.

In 1997 Pandey paid an advance rent of Rs 27,000 to Chachra. Pandey still owes Mr Chachra Rs 14,000. He has signed the register saying so. He went to Delhi for job and after sometime came back and met Mr. Chachra. He said he had found a job in USA and was leaving for the states soon. He promised to return the money after he had settled down. Mr  Chachra agreed on good faith but had not heard anything him since then.

Pandey’s father was working with N.M.L. and had retired. Pandey did not get along well with his father and they were not on talking terms.

We visited the Income tax office at C.H. Area, Road No 2, and held detailed discussions with Mr. Jagananth. All records were checked manually. Records did not show any company named City Soft located at 32, Circuit House that had filed returns.

- SD -                    
Authorized Signatory         

 

 

Phony Pay Stub

Since City Soft didn't file tax returns it's unlikely that this pay stub is legitimate.

 

 

 

Epilogue

Surajit is now working in the United States on an H-1B visa. These documents were sent to the INS Fraud Unit in May of 2001. As of February of 2002 it is not known if the INS has followed up on this investigation. It's important that the INS take action because once Green Cards are issued deportation proceedings are much tougher to carry out.

The investigation mentioned that Pandey, the founder of City Soft, is now working in the US. Rumor has it that Pandey came here on an H-1B visa. It's unknown whether he ever paid Chachra the rent owed for that office space.

These documents were donated to this website by a group of Indian activists that are working to stamp out H-1B fraud.

 

Supporting News Articles
 

Masters in forgery

Teacher appointed on fake degree?

DB Shahi and officials holding faked degrees 

Criminal Intelligence Digest

Excerpts from December,2000 issue

FRAUDS Fake certificates seller held

In November, 2000, the Delhi Police arrested a man involved in preparing fake mark sheets and certificates of different boards and universities and selling them to the people desirous of getting good jobs, charging Rs. 3000/- to Rs.4000/- per certificate. He used to procure these documents from his associates in Delhi and UP. The search of his house yielded many incriminating documents, including mark sheets of Delhi and Meerut Universities, stamps of various schools, boards and university officials.

In another case, the U.P. Police busted a gang who specialised in producing and selling fictitious degrees and certificates of different institutions in the country. Five persons were arrested and a large number of fake certificates, mark sheets, stamps and other documents including MBBS, CBSE and UP Board certificates, degrees of many top universities and letter heads and stamps of high ranking officers were recovered from them.

Fake driving license racket unearthed

In November, 2000, the Delhi Police arrested two persons and recovered fake driving licenses, school leaving certificates, mark sheets, registration certificates and national permits from them. The accused were literally running a parallel transport authority.

In another case, the Delhi Police nabbed a man from Paharganj, New Delhi, who was involved in making fake driving licenses for heavy vehicles and used to charge Rs. 5000/- for each license. A brief case containing a number of registration certificates of various kinds of vehicles, a number of learners’ licenses and two fake stamps of the Faridkot motor license authority was recovered from him.
 
The Indian Tribune Online

MDU job on basis of fake degree!
From Jatinder Sharma

ROHTAK, May 26 — Maharshi Dayanand University has been in the news not only for issuing fake degrees but also for providing employment on the basis of such degrees.

The wife of one of its senior faculty members obtained employment in the university school in July, 1984, on the basis of a fake BA degree purportedly issued by Meerut University (now CCS University, Meerut) in 1970.

However, on verification of its records, Meerut University informed Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) on December 9, 1999, that the degree held by that woman teacher was fake. Surprisingly, the university took more than three months to take "action" against the erring teacher.

Instead of dismissing the employee or filing an FIR against her for cheating the university, the then Vice-Chancellor, Lt Gen (retd) O.P. Kaushik, asked her to resign and himself preferred to lay down the charge on February 26 before taking any action on it.

The officiating Vice-Chancellor, Mrs Anita Chaudhary, has accepted the resignation in the first week of March, 2000, thereby ‘rewarding’ her with benefits of the Provident Fund etc. And the degrees she had obtained from the MDU after her joining the job, were quashed only on May 25.

The teacher has yesterday been asked by the university to surrender the original detailed marks cards and degrees of M.Ed and LL.B III, IV and V year examinations passed by her. The B.Ed degree issued to her by the MDU in 1990 has also been quashed.

In a separate development, the university had on May 11 almost doubled the fee structure from the coming academic session, yet it is unaware about the additional income it will get from the revised fees. University officials are also unable to explain the rationale behind such a steep hike in the fees.

The only explanation, which an official of its Finance Department gave in the presence of the university Registrar was that the revised fees were still lower than that being charged by some neighbouring universities, "You allow me ten minutes and I will calculate the additional income. We have not calculated that while enhancing the fees", he told The Tribune.

Meanwhile, the university has set up a committee under the chairmanship of Prof M.G. Gandhi to assess the workload of various departments and requirement of teachers as per the new UGC guidelines. The committee will also examine if any department could be clubbed with some other department to minimise its expenses.
 

04/07/2008