It all began with a tip-off leading to a dramatic police swoop on the Shail Group of Education coaching hub in Kidwai Nagar. Four operatives were nabbed, and a treasure trove of fraud emerged—more than 900 phony marksheets, degrees, and certificates. Over a third, precisely 357, impersonated documents from Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University.

The gang’s toolkit included a fake deputy registrar’s seal, enabling them to peddle counterfeits nationwide across nine states. Pricing was ruthless: Rs 50,000 for school-level fakes, Rs 50,000 to 75,000 for bachelor’s, and Rs 1.5-2.5 lakh for advanced degrees in engineering, law, and pharmacy.

Deep ties with university employees facilitated online tampering, ensuring fakes survived scrutiny. Raids yielded post-dated cheques hinting at massive illicit gains, plus links to lawyers flaunting bogus LLB papers.

CSJMU officials recently claimed zero foul play or police outreach, but hard evidence contradicts them. The SIT’s mandate includes campus inspections, staff interrogations, and dismantling the insider network. As the hunt for fugitive members intensifies, this scandal threatens to implicate high-ranking academicians and reshape verification protocols across the region.