HYDERABAD: The South-East Zone Task Force, in collaboration with the Masab Tank Police, busted a fake educational certificate racket on Monday. Acting on credible information, authorities arrested two individuals and seized 36 fake certificates from various universities along with two mobile phones. 

The suspects were identified as Syed Imran, a 40-year-old home tutor from Aman Nagar, Talabkatta, Hyderabad, and Mohd Khader, a 27-year-old unemployed resident of Syed Nagar, First Lancer, Hyderabad. Imran is said to have been supplying counterfeit certificates, while Khader had procured fake credentials to pursue higher education and secure a job abroad. 

Investigations revealed that Khader, who dropped out of B.Tech in 2016, obtained fake BBA degree certificates from Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, for Rs 80,000. Imran reportedly collected payments and candidate details, forwarding them to an associate, Rohan, in Najafgarh, Delhi, who remains at large. 

Imran has a history of involvement in similar fraudulent activities, with three prior criminal cases and two pending non-bailable warrants. The operation was led by Inspector S. Saidababu and Inspector A. Praveen Kumar, along with their teams. Authorities are continuing efforts to apprehend Rohan and investigate further.