Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 2: The Economic Offences Wing of the Crime Branch of Jammu has filed a charge-sheet against a husband-wife duo for their alleged involvement in issuing fake diploma certificates to students for trades like plumbing and electrical work.
A Crime Branch spokesperson said that the case dates back to 2017 when a couple, identified as Gurbaksh Singh (also known as GB Singh) and Bharti Bhat, were booked in case FIR number 11/2017 Under Sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the RPC.
He said Gurbaksh Singh served as the Managing Director, and Bharti Bhat held the position of Principal at Kissan Institute of Technology in RS Pura, Jammu.
“They knowingly operated without the authorization to conduct examinations or grant diplomas for various trades of National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) and State Council for Vocational Training (SCVT),” he said.
“Their deceit came to light when students, armed with these counterfeit diplomas, sought employment with the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department. The Directorate of Technical Education confirmed the counterfeit nature of these certificates, leading to swift action,” he added.
According to the Crime Branch spokesperson, the Directorate of Technical Education suspended the permission and affiliation previously granted to Kissan Institute of Technology, RS Pura, Jammu, for offering NCVT and SCVT courses, effectively preventing further admissions in August 2016.
Despite this suspension, the institute unlawfully conspired to admit students and issued them more fake diplomas, ultimately used to secure Government jobs through fraudulent means, said the Crime Branch spokesperson.
He said the Crime Branch Jammu initiated an investigation into this matter following a complaint from the Vigilance Commission of Jammu & Kashmir.
With a wealth of documentary evidence, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) reports, and statements from complainants and witnesses, the accused have now been charged under multiple sections of the RPC, including 420, 465, 468, 471, and 120-B.
Furthermore, the Economic Offences Wing of the Crime Branch Jammu has also presented a charge-sheet in another case, FIR number 68/2022, involving similar charges under the IPC, awaiting judicial determination.
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