At Hyderabad’s international airport, immigration officers have uncovered a high-stakes academic fraud ring, where students with forged degrees were securing visas to the US and UK. The discovery has prompted a sweeping investigation into the role of shady education consultancies fueling this transnational scam.
In what officials are calling a “wake-up call” for global student visa processes, immigration officers at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad, have unearthed a sophisticated academic fraud racket, one that enabled Indian students to secure US and UK student visas using forged academic records. The unmasking of this ring has raised critical questions about both international consular vetting and the network of fraudulent education consultancies across India.
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Over a span of just two weeks, authorities intercepted four individuals, all bound for foreign universities, with fake degrees, manipulated transcripts, and in some cases, forged employment letters. Despite passing visa interviews and obtaining admission into reputable institutions, these candidates were caught in the final stretch, at the boarding gates of Hyderabad’s busiest airport.
Breaking the Illusion: A Fake Degree Exposes the Crack
The first domino fell on June 1, when Pakeeru Gopal Reddy, 28, from Nalgonda district, was flagged by the Bureau of Immigration (BoI). Gopal had earlier studied at Webster University in Missouri, entering the U.S. in September 2023 using a forged BSc (Computers) degree from Madurai Kamaraj University. However, on attempting to re-enter the U.S. in May 2024, he was deported from Dallas airport due to an inactive SEVIS record.
On his return to Hyderabad, further questioning by BoI revealed the fraud. Gopal confessed that the degree was arranged by Katoju Ashok, an agent linked to Sri Dhanalakshmi Overseas Pvt. Ltd., a consultancy in Vanasthalipuram. Both were arrested, setting the stage for a broader investigation.
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The Pattern Emerges: Three More Students, Three Fake Careers
Between June 9 and June 12, three more individuals were caught attempting to leave for the UK, each armed with fake educational records and aided by local agents:
- Mohammad Shahabazuddin, 26, from Hyderabad, carried forged BCom and BTech degrees, and admitted to fabricating documents using software tools. He had even purchased a fake SSC certificate for ₹1.5 lakh.
- Mohammed Azhar Hussain, 25, from Miryalaguda, used counterfeit degrees from Capital University, Jharkhand, and a bogus job letter arranged by a consultancy called Emerge Migration Overseas.
- Srikanth Marthala, 26, from Guntur, was stopped with a fake BTech degree from KL University, which he admitted buying for ₹40,000 from Mohan Krishna, a Guntur-based agent.
Each was taken into custody after their fake credentials were verified, and cases were filed under IPC sections related to forgery and impersonation.
The Business of Fraud: A Shadow Network of Education Agents
The recurring presence of education consultants and visa agents in each case has prompted immigration and police officials to launch a wider probe into consultancy networks across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Authorities say consultancies like Sri Dhanalakshmi Overseas and Emerge Migration Overseas operated with alarming ease, using duplicate stamps, photo-editing software, and lax university records to create “credible” academic profiles. The international implications are serious, as all four students had successfully cleared formal interviews at embassies and gained admission to accredited foreign universities.
Immigration officials now suspect that hundreds more may have slipped through undetected, with fake degrees potentially being used to secure visas, part-time work opportunities, or even permanent residency abroad.