Fake certificate racket thrives in Kochi

KOCHI: The fake certificate-making racket is spreading its tentacles to the highly literate city of Kochi these days. The fact that a racket was being operated came to light when the Delhi Police busted one last month. The police arrested two Malayalis in this regard and seized several certificates belonging to universities in Kerala. The inquiry has been extended to Kochi now.In another case, the Karnataka police recently exposed a major fake university mark sheets and degree certificates racket, which also had a Kochi connection.Several rackets are believed to be running in the city with their network spread across the country. These racketeers cater in a big way to applicants of ECNR (Emigration Check Not Required) status in their passports.Sources in the police told us that the racketeers had shifted base to southern cities like Kochi, following the stringent action taken against such rackets by the police in other metros.The racketeers possess printing press and sophisticated computer systems that enable them to forge documents matching the original. Earlier forged documents flowed from other states to Kerala. But now the trend has reversed, with certificates being made in Kerala and flowing to other states.“We have information about several racketeers manufacturing fake certificates. It is not difficult to nab them. But seizing a few blank certificates won’t  be enough. We have to arrest the big fish and their equipment including the printing press. That’s often difficult. But the police have been alerted and are operating underground to bust the rackets,” said a police official.Authentication officer C S Mohanan said that the office does come across forged certificates and the incidence is particularly high among postal applications.“We cross-check with individual universities every time. It is impossible to get each university degree certificate verified as our resources are limited. But our staff are very familiar with university emblems and signatures and chances of fake certificates passing for originals are rare,” said C S Mohanan.