PRAYAGRAJ, April 4 -- Once known for its strong academic legacy, the Sangam city has, in recent years, emerged as a fertile ground for fake degree rackets. Authorities say the presence of key education offices-such as the UP Board headquarters, the directorate of education and the CBSE regional office-has made the city an easy target for fraudsters preying on desperate job seekers. This year alone, three major fake degree rackets have been busted in Prayagraj within two months, exposing a deep-rooted nexus spread across the wider Purvanchal region. These gangs operated through professionally designed fake websites impersonating reputed universities and education boards in Uttar Pradesh. Using such portals, they issued forged degrees and marksheets that appeared convincing enough to mislead employers and institutions. Professional courses such as BPharm and DPharm were in particularly high demand, especially among those planning to open pharmacies or medical stores. The fraud extended beyond higher education, with rackets also creating look-alike websites of the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board), Asia's largest examining body. Investigations revealed that some private institutions and distance education centres acted as intermediaries, helping students who had failed exams obtain fake certificates. One of the most serious cases surfaced in January 2026, when the UP Special Task Force busted an inter-state fake BAMS degree racket. The kingpin, Mohd Taruq, was arrested from his office, "Savitribai Phule Medical Research Centre," in Prayagraj's Kareli area. His gang sold fake Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) degrees for Rs 6 lakh to Rs 10 lakh each. Police recovered 68 fake documents, along with laptops and pen drives. Shockingly, the accused had also been treating patients using these fake credentials to avoid suspicion. Another major racket was unearthed in March, revealing large-scale circulation of fake BPharm degrees across districts including Prayagraj, Varanasi, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Lucknow and Pratapgarh. On March 25, cyber crime cell teams arrested Sashi Prakash Rai alias Rajan Sharma and Manish Rai from Azamgarh. Ironically, Rai himself possessed a fake B Pharm degree. The gang also operated a fake website mimicking the official UP Board portal, and is believed to have issued around 7,000 fake marksheets and degrees since 2014. Police seized fake seals and holograms of 42 universities, along with computers and printers. According to DCP (Ganganagar) Kuldeep Singh Gunawat, the network functioned mainly through distance education centres and call-based operations, with investigators now tracking dozens of associates and thousands of beneficiaries. Fraudsters lured victims through Facebook advertisements and a call centre named "Education," offering inflated marks or backdated certificates for Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per document, delivered via courier. All accused have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act. Adding to the concern, a pharmacy college manager was also arrested in 2025 for issuing fake pharmacy degrees to nearly 300 students. UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh said such cases threaten Prayagraj's reputation as a centre of learning. "With students frequently visiting the city for admissions and verification, fraudsters exploit trust by offering shortcut solutions-turning education into a profitable crime," he said....