Hisar: The Panchkula police have arrested former municipal councillor and BJP leader Mahendra Kumar Juneja of Hisar in connection with a fake BAMS degree case, allegedly procured for Rs 10 lakh without attending classes.Juneja, who was running a clinic in Patel Nagar for several years, was produced before a Panchkula court and remanded to judicial custody. The matter came to light when Juneja applied for registration with the Council of Indian Medicine, Haryana. During verification, discrepancies were found in his documents, triggering a police complaint. Based on a complaint filed by Dr Dinesh Sharma, registrar of the council, Sector 5 police station in Panchkula registered a case on May 12, 2023, against Juneja, Dr Bansal, Dr Naveen, Dr Karan Sarna and an unidentified person under IPC sections related to cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy. Certificate found fake during verification According to officials, the registration certificate submitted by Juneja was found to have originally been issued in the name of another person. The council informed the authorities that the document was fraudulent and recommended legal action. Paid Rs 10 lakh for degree, claims accused In his written statement to the council, Juneja claimed that he was approached by a person posing as a doctor, who offered to arrange an original BAMS degree for Rs 10 lakh. He said he initially paid Rs 5 lakh and later handed over the remaining amount in Panchkula, where he was given fabricated academic certificates and a registration certificate. He further alleged that the accused doctors were part of a racket involved in issuing fake medical degrees and claimed that similar certificates, including MBBS degrees, could also be arranged. Offers to turn govt witness Juneja, in his response, expressed willingness to cooperate in the investigation and offered to become a govt witness. He also submitted his original documents to the council and sought recovery of the money he had allegedly paid. Police are now probing the larger network behind the fake degree racket, including the role of intermediaries and other beneficiaries. Further investigation is underway. MSID: 130172689 413 |
