17 held in fake degree scam

Officials have arrested 17 people, all from Arab countries, involved in a forgery racket.

The Fujairah Public Prosecution has issued Interpol red corner notices for five people and is interrogating 17 others in connection with a racket of forging university degree certificates and using them to obtain residence visas in the UAE, according to a report in Khaleej Times.

One of the suspects was holding an engineering degree certificate, but he cannot write his name, the paper added.

The Public Prosecution has ordered the extension of the detention of the 17 suspects pending trial.

Authorities are on the lookout for the other five who are suspected to have fled the country.

The police stumbled on the racket after a tip-off that an Arab man was selling forged university degree certificates and visas for Dh30,000.

Detectives monitored the suspect before arresting him.

During interrogation, the man confessed to running the forgery racket and led the police to 10 others who had entered the country using fake documents. 

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