MSM College fake degree certificate: Police arrest main accused Muhammed Riyas in Chennai

Former SFI leader Nikhil applied for admission to the MCom programme at MSM College, Kayamkulam, using a fake degree certificate from Kalinga University. The registrar of Kerala University formally reported the incident to the police and asked for a thorough investigation. The cops then filed a case against him.

Kayamkulam: The main accused in the MSM Colleg fake degree certificate case involving former SFI leader Nikhil Thomas was arrested on Friday. Muhammed Riyas, a native of Chennai was arrested by the Kayamkulam police. The accused presently runs an organisation named Edu Care in Chennai. He is accused of creating a fake certificate and giving it to the third accused Saju Sasidharan.

Riyas is the fourth accused in the case of fabricating the degree certificate, migration certificate and mark lists of Kalinga University. He gave the fabricated certificates to Saju Sasidharan, an Ernakulam native, who then gave them to Nikhil.

The authorities were able to establish ties to Riyas due to Saju's financial transactions. Meanwhile, the High Court denied Riyas' request for anticipatory bail. Police then went to Chennai and detained him there.

Abin C Raj, who is accused of providing a fake B.Com degree certificate to Nikhil Thomas, was taken into custody by police on Monday (June 26) from Cochin International Airport. Abin, who is also a former SFI leader, is the second accused in the Kayamkulam certificate forgery case at MSM College. Nikhil Thomas who was detained from Kottayam KSRTC Bus depot had told the police that he received assistance from Abin C Raj, a former SFI area president of Kayamkulam to create a fake certificate. He also in his statement told the police that Abin is currently in Maldives. 

Nikhil paid Abin Rs 2 lakh for a forged certificate from Kalinga University. Abin accepted the funds via his mother's bank account. A company in Ernakulam by the name of Orion issued the certificate. With this, the police have nabbed the two accused in the certificate forgery case now.