Telangana student deported from US over fake education certificates

HYDERABAD: The RGI Airport police apprehended a 28-year-old student from Nalgonda for allegedly using forged documents to secure a US visa. Based on his admission, cops subsequently arrested the managing director of an education consultancy firm who supplied the documents to him.

The first arrest took place on June 1 when Pakiru Gopal Reddy, from Parepalligudem in Nalgonda district, landed at the Shamshabad airport after being deported from Dallas, US, for an inactive Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). He was pursuing his master's at Webster University, Missouri.

"During interrogation by immigration officials Reddy confessed that he went to the US on Sept 28, 2023, by obtaining a US visa using fake BSc Computers certificates from Madurai Kamraj University," said V Sreekanth Goud, ACP, RGIA. He added: "Reddy said he initially stayed there for 15 months and returned home on personal work in 2024. In the last week of May, he returned to the US but was intercepted at the Dallas airport and deported to India for inactive SEVIS status."

When questioned by local immigration officials, the student claimed Katoju Ashok of Sri Dhanalakshmi Overseas Private Limited in BN Reddy Nagar, Vanasthalipuram, had helped him procure the counterfeit documents.

Immigration officials handed over Reddy to RGI Airport police on June 1, while Ashok was arrested the day after.

"Ashok confessed to police that since 2020 he has supplied fake degree certificates to 15 students and sent them abroad by charging between Rs 80,000 and Rs 1 lakh each," said a police official.

Cops seized 150 forged mark statements, provisional certificates, and recommendation letters of Madurai Kamaraj University and Osmania University, in the name of 17 persons, along with stamps of various private companies, Rs 10 lakh cash, and four cell phones from Ashok's possession.