New Delhi (India), February 1 (HBTV): Delhi Police arrested two individuals in connection with a fake online PhD admission racket on Saturday. The arrested accused, Javed Khan (30) and Shahrukh Ali (29), both residents of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, were involved in the scam, which was led by Khan, a computer engineer.

According to police officials, a complaint about cyber financial fraud was received at PS Cyber. The complainant, who was seeking PhD admission, had found a contact number for Javed Khan through the website www.literateus.com and reached out to him. Khan lured the complainant into the scam, convincing her to transfer INR 1,80,000 for PhD admission and thesis services.

However, the complainant became suspicious when the accused demanded more money and failed to provide receipts. She then reported the matter to the police, which led to the registration of an FIR and the initiation of an investigation.

During the investigation, the police traced bank details and call records of the accused. Information from the domain provider of the website revealed that the stolen money was transferred to bank accounts under the names of Javed Khan and Shahrukh Ali. Technical surveillance was conducted since the accused had discarded the mobile phones used in the fraud. After sustained efforts, the accused were apprehended from Saharanpur and Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

DCP Central M Harshavardhan stated that during questioning, Javed Khan revealed he had studied Computer Science (IT Networking) and worked at a firm assisting with online PhD admissions in 2022-2023. Khan later decided to launch his own operation and created the website www.literateus.com. He tried to partner with various universities, but only received a Channel Partner letter from Glocal University, Saharanpur (UP). However, Glocal University has been embroiled in a backdated degree scam and has not been operational since July 2021, police said.

Khan allegedly sent a photoshopped ID card of Glocal University to the complainant and issued fake, backdated honorary doctorate degrees to several individuals. Co-accused Shahrukh Ali actively participated in the fraudulent admissions and received a share of the illicit earnings.

Police recovered a mobile phone and a payment receipt from Glocal University from the accused. Incriminating WhatsApp chats were also found on a phone recovered from Shahrukh Ali. Additionally, fake university receipts for payments were found at the accused's residence.

Both accused are reportedly drug addicts, and Javed Khan was arrested from a de-addiction center in Noida. Investigations revealed that at least 15 individuals have been cheated under the pretext of PhD admissions. (ANI)