New Delhi [India], February 1 : Delhi Police on Saturday arrested two accused in connection with a fake online PhD admission racket. The arrested accused, Javed Khan (30) and Shahrukh Ali (29), are residents of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The racket was led by Javed Khan, a computer engineer, police said.
According to officials, a complaint regarding cyber financial fraud was received at PS Cyber, wherein the complainant stated that she wanted to pursue a PhD and had searched online for admission. She found a contact number of one Javed Khan through the website www.literateus.com and reached out to him. The complainant was lured into the scheme and transferred a total of Rs 1,80,000 to Javed in the name of PhD admission and thesis.
However, when the accused demanded more money and failed to provide any receipts, she grew suspicious and reported the matter to the police. Based on her complaint, an FIR was registered, and an investigation was initiated.
During the probe, bank details and call records of the accused were obtained. Police also retrieved details of the website in question from the domain provider. It was found that the cheated amount was deposited in bank accounts registered under Javed Khan and Shahrukh Ali.
Technical surveillance was conducted as the accused had discarded the mobile phones used in the fraud. After sustained efforts, the accused were traced and apprehended from Saharanpur and Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
DCP Central M Harshavardhan stated that during interrogation, accused Javed Khan disclosed that he studied Computer Science (IT) Networking. He worked at a firm assisting in online PhD admissions, in 2022-2023.
He then got the idea to launch his own setup and created the website www.literateus.com. Javed allegedly attempted to tie up with multiple universities but only received a Channel Partner letter from Glocal University, Saharanpur (UP). It is pertinent to mention that, as per the accused, Glocal University is embroiled in a backdated degree scam and has not been operational since July 2021, officials said.
Javed Khan allegedly sent a photoshopped ID card of Glocal University to the complainant and issued fake, backdated honorary doctorate degrees to multiple individuals. Co-accused Shahrukh Ali actively participated in the fraudulent PhD admissions and received a share of the illicit earnings, police said. The complainant was induced to transfer Rs 1,80,000 for a fake PhD course.
One mobile phone and a payment receipt of Glocal University were recovered from the accused. Incriminating WhatsApp chats were found on a phone recovered from Shahrukh Ali. Fake university receipts of payments were recovered from the accused's house.
Both accused are drug addicts, and Javed Khan was arrested from a de-addiction centre in Noida, police added. Police investigations have revealed that a total of 15 individuals have been cheated under the pretext of PhD admissions.
Further investigation is underway.