Lucknow: The Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh achieved a significant breakthrough by arresting two active members of a criminal network engaged in producing counterfeit academic documents, including mark sheets, certificates, registration and transfer certificates, and verification forms of various educational boards and universities.
The operation took place on March 25, 2026, in Suhauli village, Barhah police jurisdiction, Azamgarh, following intelligence collected by STF teams under the supervision of Shri Shudhanshu Shekhar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, STF Lucknow. Acting on reliable sources, the team arrested Shashi Prakash Rai alias Rajan Sharma alias Shani (son of Harishankar Rai) and Manish Kumar Rai (son of Mahendra Rai).
During the raid, authorities recovered:
- 217 counterfeit academic documents, including mark sheets, certificates, registration and migration certificates.
- 4 Android mobile phones and 10 other mobile phones.
- 42 forged stamps and 5 CPUs.
- 2 pen drives, 10 registers, and 1 UPI QR scanner.
Investigation revealed that the gang had created a fake website resembling the official website of the Uttar Pradesh Board of Secondary Education, misleading citizens. The syndicate charged between ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 per fake document and had produced over 6,000 to 7,000 counterfeit documents, which were circulated via courier. These forged documents enabled recipients to secure jobs and complete verifications online and offline by presenting fake certificates as genuine.
During interrogation, Shashi Prakash Rai admitted to coordinating the operations from Delhi and previously from Agra and Jaunpur, while Manish Kumar Rai executed the creation of the counterfeit documents based on the information provided by Rai.
The arrested accused have been booked under FIR No. 46/2025 at Cyber Police Station, Prayagraj, under Sections 318(4), 319(2), 336(3), 338, 340(2), 61(2), 112 BNS, and Sections 66D, 74, 84C of the IT Act. Further legal proceedings are being carried out by local police.
This operation underscores the STF’s vigilance in combating cybercrime and fraudulent activities that undermine educational integrity in Uttar Pradesh.
