Pune university suspends employee, files police complaint over forged degree certificate and marksheet

Savitribai Phule Pune University SPPU has suspended an employee and lodged a police complaint after he was allegedly found accepting money from a student in exchange for forged academic documents including a BCom degree certificate and marksheetThe university said the employee identified as Ramesh Mukhekar from the accounts department allegedly accepted Rs 70000 from a student after promising to arrange a genuine degree certificate and marksheet However the documents shared with the student were later found to be fabricatedEmployee accused of providing forged academic documentsAccording to a statement issued by the university on Wednesday Mukhekar allegedly sent images of the degree certificate and marksheet to the student through WhatsApp Although the documents appeared authentic at first glance they were later identified as fakeUniversity officials clarified that Mukhekar was not associated with the institutions Examination Department which is responsible for issuing academic recordsThe employee is not attached to the universitys Examination Department The documents prepared and shared by him on WhatsApp do not match the official records of the Examination Department the university saidUniversity suspends employee with immediate effectFollowing the complaint SPPU suspended Mukhekar with immediate effect citing the seriousness of the allegationsThe university said it acted promptly after verifying the initial complaint and initiated disciplinary proceedings alongside legal actionPolice complaint filed over alleged forgerySPPU has also approached the police to investigate the matter According to the university Dr Rajendra Talware Director of the Board of Examinations and Evaluation submitted a formal complaint to the Chaturshringi Police Station seeking a detailed investigationStrict action will be taken against anyone found involved in the offence during the police investigation the university saidThe statement did not clarify whether any action would be initiated against the student who allegedly received the forged documentsProbe to examine possible wider involvementThe university said preliminary findings suggest Mukhekar may have prepared the forged documents by exploiting his knowledge of the universitys examination system Investigators will now determine whether others were involved or whether there was any broader systemic lapseIt will be established during the police investigation whether any other person or systemic involvement exists in the matter the officials saidUniversity reassures students over document securitySPPU appealed to students and parents not to be misled by rumours regarding the authenticity of universityissued certificates The university stressed that its marksheets and degree certificates contain multiple highlevel security features designed to prevent tampering and forgeryOfficials said the investigation is ongoing and further action will depend on the findings of the police probe The university reiterated its commitment to maintaining the integrity of its examination and certification process while taking strict action against anyone found responsible for fraudulent activitiesWith inputs from PTI