The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force has uncovered an inter-state racket involved in the creation and sale of forged medical degrees, leading to the arrest of its alleged kingpin in Prayagraj. Officials said the operation exposed a network that produced fake Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery marksheets, degrees and certificates, which were then sold to aspiring practitioners across multiple states.
The accused, identified as Mohd Taruq, was arrested on January 9, 2026, from Prayagraj. Investigators found that he was running an office and clinic under the name Savitribai Phule Medical Research Centre, which he allegedly used as a front to carry out illegal activities related to forged medical credentials.
According to STF officials, Taruq charged amounts ranging between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 10 lakh from individuals seeking fake BAMS qualifications. These forged documents were issued in the names of various recognised medical colleges and universities in Uttar Pradesh and other states, giving them the appearance of authenticity.
In one specific complaint, a man named Brahmanand stated that he paid around Rs 6 lakh to Taruq, after which he was handed forged BAMS marksheets and a degree falsely attributed to Shivalik Ayurvedic Medical College in Azamgarh and Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University in Jaunpur. The documents were later found to be completely fabricated.
During questioning, the accused admitted that he had prepared and distributed fake medical degrees and marksheets for several people using the names of different universities. He also confessed to creating forged qualifications in his own name and in the name of his wife, Rashida Parveen, falsely claiming affiliation with institutions such as Uttarakhand Ayurveda University.
STF officials said the accused was not merely selling documents but was also actively treating patients suffering from serious medical conditions by using these fake qualifications. Authorities noted that this posed a grave threat to public health, as patients were unknowingly receiving treatment from an unqualified individual.
During the raid, the STF seized several items used in the forgery operation, including a computer CPU, a mobile phone, a 32 GB pen drive, and 68 photocopies of forged marksheets and certificates. These materials are believed to have been used to design, store and reproduce the fake documents.
The operation was carried out by the STF Field Unit in Prayagraj under the supervision of a Deputy Superintendent of Police. A case has been registered against the accused at the Kareli police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. Officials said further investigation is underway to trace other beneficiaries of the racket and identify possible accomplices involved in the operation.
