Alappuzha: Police probe into the fake degree case involving former Students' Federation of India leader Nikhil Thomas is now focused on the owner of an Ernakulam-based educational consultancy.
Saju Sasidaran, the owner of Orion who is the third accused in the forgery case, was earlier too booked for swindling money by offering certificates. Sixteen cases are filed against him across three police stations in Ernakulam district, the probe revealed.
A case was filed against him at the Palarivattom police station in Ernakulam for cheating after promising degree certificate of distance education courses in the name of the universities in Delhi and Maharashtra.
However, most cases are regarding duping job aspirants by offering a visa to Malta. Saju, who had been arrested in these cases in September 2022, was released on bail on May 15 this year.
As per the latest case Saju allegedly provided the fake BCom certificate to Nikhil Thomas for college admission. The Kayamkulam police nabbed Saju from near a bar at Vazhakkala on the night of June 29.
Saju was produced before the Kayamkulam magistrate court on Friday and remanded for 14 days.
Conman's disclosure
Saju has reportedly told the police that he had fabricated the fake certificate for Nikhil on his computer after downloading the model of the certificate of the Kalinga University.
In his statement, Saju also claimed that he levied only Rs 72,000 for the fake BCom certificate in the name of the Kalinga University. Nikhil had paid Rs 2 lakh to former SFI district secretariat member Abin C Raj for the fake certificate.
Abin had told Nikhil that he had paid the whole Rs 2 lakh for the certificate. But when the police questioned him, Abin said that he had given Rs 1.25 lakh to the agency. But Saju has deposed that he was only given Rs 72,000.
Police to seek court nod
Saju's computers had been seized when he was arrested in the visa fraud case in September 2022. They are now with the court and need to be checked to obtain more details on the fabrication of fake certificates.
The Kayamkulam police will file a request at the Ernakulam magistrate court for accessing the computers.
