LUCKNOW, Dec. 22 -- At least three men arrested in Gomti Nagar on Saturday allegedly ran an interstate forgery operation that supplied fake degrees from 25 universities to job seekers across multiple states, with police recovering 923 forged certificates and Rs.2 lakh in cash from their possession. Acting on a tip-off, Lucknow police's eastern zone crime and surveillance team arrested the trio who allegedly charged between Rs.25,000 and Rs.4 lakh per degree. "The team recovered 923 fake certificates, 15 forged university seals, laptops, hard disks, printers, registers and Rs.2 lakh in cash," said DCP East Shashank Singh. An FIR has been registered at Gomti Nagar police station under multiple sections of the BNS. Further arrests are expected, police said. Police said the accused approached or were contacted by candidates unable to meet educational eligibility criteria. They allegedly offered degrees in BTech, BCA, MCA, MSc and BA, charging between Rs.25,000 and Rs.4 lakh depending on the course. "The documents were designed to pass routine employer verification. Fonts, paper quality, seals and serial formats were carefully replicated," said ACP Gomti Nagar Brij Narayan Singh, adding that many clients had already secured jobs using these credentials. Police clarified that the universities themselves were victims. The case has drawn attention to gaps in cross-state academic verification mechanisms. The forged certificates allegedly carried the names of institutions spanning 25 universities. "This is not just a forgery case. It is about trust in qualifications," an officer said. The seizure of laptops, hard disks and cheque books suggests digital records of payments and client lists. Police are now analysing these to identify beneficiaries who allegedly used fake degrees to secure employment. "We are coordinating with universities and employers to identify forged documents already in circulation," said DCP Singh. The investigation is expanding to other states. htc...