M A I N   N E W S

Certificate racket busted
Our Correspondent

Gurdaspur, January 9
The police has busted a gang of cheats involved in selling fake class X and class VIII educational certificates at exorbitant prices by arresting four of its members. The accused used to charge Rs 10,000 and Rs 8,000 for fake class X and class VIII certificates, respectively. The gang was also involved in cheating people on the pretext of getting them recruited to the Army by charging Rs 50,000.

Mr Varinder Kumar, SSP, while talking to mediapersons here today, said four members of the gang — Satpal and Sudagar Singh, both residents of Bhaini Meelwan, under police station Purana Shalla in the district and Sohan Lal and Parmod Kumar residents of Dhola Khera and Harsha Kalota in district Hoshiarpur, respectively — had been arrested.

The SSP said on checking of the accused six blank printed class X certificates bearing signatures of the competent authorities, 25 detailed marksheets of class X and 25 blank printed class X certificates were found. The other members of the gang Naib-Subedar Rashpal Singh, Faqir Singh, a resident of Bhaini Khuda, and Parmesh Singh, a resident of Harsha Kalota, were still at large. Bhonsle, a clerk in 16 Dogra Regiment, who was used to help the accused in getting people recruited to the Army, was apprehended by the Army authorities for various irregularities.

Mr Varinder Kumar said on a tip-off a police team arrested the accused at a naka laid near Adda Tanda while they were travelling on a motor cycle and a scooter.

A case under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, and 120-B of the IPC was registered against the accused yesterday.

He said during preliminary interrogation the accused confessed to having sold 10 fake class X certificates to various persons for Rs 10,000 each. The accused also got recruited Ram Singh, Mohan Lal and Ajit Singh, all residents of Bhaini Meelwan, to the Army by charging Rs 40,000 from each of them. They used to pay Rs 30,000 to Bhonsle for every person recruited.

The SSP said later the accused started taking groups of boys to the Army recruitment rallies in Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. They even used to retain Rs 50,000 charged from every boy, who was selected on his own. During these recruitment rallies two boys belonging to Fatwal and Chhina in the district were selected.

He said the accused confessed to having taken Rs 10,000 from Gurpal Singh for a fake class X certificate in the name of his son and Rs 8,000 from Lakhmir Singh for a fake class VIII certificate.