MBA grad from Kerala held by Chennai Police for supplying fake degree certificates

CHENNAI: City Police's Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested a 37-year-old woman from Kerala, an MBA graduate for allegedly supplying people with forged degree certificates of renowned educational institutions in the State such as the University of Madras among others for the last seven years.

The city police swung into action based on a complaint from the US consulate after one of the visa applicants from Kerala was found to have submitted a forged certificate while applying for a Student F1 visa when she appeared for the interview on January 30.

"It was found that the BCA degree certificate from the University of Madras and mark sheets were fake," a police officer said.

She told the authorities that the certificates were issued by an academy in Ernakulam.

The Forgery Investigation Wing (FIW), CCB took up investigations, and after enquiry, police found that the forged certificates were issued by RISS Royal Academy at Ernakulam.

A special team went to Kerala and after investigations arrested the accused, Shajina Mol. An MBA graduate, Shajina has been running the RISS Royal Academy since 2018 and was preparing and issuing fake educational certificates from the University of Madras, Annamalai University, Mahatma Gandhi University (Kottayam), and Kerala government school certificates.

"She charged Rs 60,000 and above for every certificate. She had also renamed RISS Royal Academy to EDUWIN distant education consultancy," the official added.

Police seized several forged certificates from her office in Ernakulam.

She was produced before a court in Chennai and remanded to judicial custody.