US visa scam: Student arrested for forging documents

Hyderabad: A 28-year-old student from Telangana’s Nalgonda district has been arrested in Hyderabad following his deportation from the United States for allegedly using forged documents to secure his visa, police confirmed on Wednesday. Authorities have also apprehended the managing director of an overseas education consultancy firm, arrested on June 2, accused of supplying the fraudulent degree certificates to the student.

The student, who was pursuing a master's degree at Webster University in Missouri, was initially taken into custody on June 1. Both individuals have been charged with forgery and cheating.

The student's deportation from Dallas in the US occurred in the last week of May. He was returning from India when US immigration officers discovered his SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) status was inactive.

Upon his arrival at Rajiv Gandhi International (RGI) Airport in Shamshabad on June 1, local immigration authorities conducted an inquiry. During this, he reportedly confessed to having obtained a US visa in September 2023 using "fake" B.Sc. Computer Science certificates. Following this confession, local immigration authorities filed a complaint at the RGI Airport police station, leading to the student's arrest and the recording of his statement.

The student informed police that he had acquired the fraudulent documents from the MD of the education consultancy firm. A subsequent search at the firm's office led to the seizure of various documents, including certificates from different universities, and Rs 10 lakh in cash from the MD, who was then arrested.

"The student had studied for one year in the US and came to India and stayed for five months. When he returned to the US, immigration officers at the Dallas airport found his student status inactive on the SEVIS and deported him," Assistant Commissioner of Police (Shamshabad Division) V Sreekanth Goud said PTI.

During interrogation, the MD of the consultancy firm disclosed that over the past five years, he had facilitated the admission of 15 students abroad by providing them with "fake" degree certificates. Further investigation into the racket is ongoing.