SPPU official arrested in fake degree case

Chatushrungi police arrested suspended SPPU finance and accounts official Ramesh Mukhekar in a fake BCom degree racket case.

An internal SPPU inquiry found the degree certificate number BC12-03625, allegedly issued to Sahil Mahesh Kadam in April 2024, belonged to another student and carried the signature of former vice-chancellor Vasudev Gade, whose tenure ended in 2018.

Police registered an FIR invoking sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, related to forgery, cheating, impersonation, and fraudulent acts; Mukhekar's mobile phone was sent for forensic examination.

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar demanded a comprehensive investigation and a forensic audit of SPPU records from 2015 onwards after meeting vice-chancellor Suresh Gosavi on Thursday.