Pune: The Chatushrungi police have arrested a suspended official of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) in connection with an alleged fake BCom degree racket, officials said on Thursday.
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The police registered an FIR against Ramesh Mukhekar, an official from the university’s finance and accounts department, after an internal SPPU inquiry reportedly found discrepancies in academic documents allegedly used to create a fake degree.
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“His mobile phone appears to have been completely erased and will be sent for forensic examination. His associates will also be called for probe,” said deputy commissioner of police (zone IV) Chilumula Rajanikant.
The FIR filed late on July 29, invokes Sections 336(2), 336(3), 338, 340(2), 318(4) and 319 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, relating to forgery, use of forged documents, cheating, impersonation and fraudulent acts.
Pawar said the suspension of one employee should not mark the end of the probe, as more such cases could emerge. He alleged that the accused official had been working at the university since 2016 and demanded an audit to identify whether similar irregularities had occurred in the past.
Pawar also raised allegations regarding the university’s recruitment process, claiming that private agencies had influenced appointments and demanded an inquiry into the matter. He questioned higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil over alleged recruitment irregularities and warned of agitation if a clarification was not provided.
Pawar said he had given the V-C 10 to 12 days to ensure a thorough investigation into all aspects of the case.
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According to the police, the case is based on findings of an internal university inquiry, which found that the seat number and Permanent Registration Number (PRN) mentioned on the alleged forged marksheets did not match university records. It also found that the degree certificate number BC12-03625, allegedly issued to Sahil Mahesh Kadam, belonged to another student.
Police said the certificate claimed to have been issued in April 2024 carried the signature of former vice-chancellor Vasudev Gade, whose tenure ended in 2018.
The police stated that university records showed Kadam had enrolled in the BCom programme in the 2018-19 academic year, appeared for the first-year examination, failed in April 2022 and did not appear for any subsequent examinations.
Meanwhile, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar demanded a comprehensive investigation into the alleged racket and sought a forensic audit of SPPU records from 2015 onwards. He made the demand after meeting vice-chancellor Suresh Gosavi on Thursday.
“If fake degrees are being issued from Pune university, it is a very serious matter and cannot be justified,” Pawar said.
