Fake B.Ed Certificate Racket Busted in Western Odisha; Two Agents Arrested

Burla/Jharsuguda: A major education fraud involving fake B.Ed certificates has been unearthed in western Odisha, with police arresting two alleged agents accused of duping over 300 aspirants across multiple districts by promising degrees from Acharya Nagarjuna University.

The accused, identified as Chittaranjan Barik and Reema Das, were reportedly operating from an office near Sambalpur University in Burla under the name “One World Academy.” They allegedly lured students by advertising assured admission into distance B.Ed programmes in exchange for hefty payments.

According to preliminary investigations, aspirants from districts such as Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Balangir, Bargarh, Nuapada and Keonjhar paid amounts running into lakhs, hoping to obtain teaching qualifications. Victims were issued receipts and assured that their admissions had been successfully processed.

Suspicion arose when candidates neither received valid admission confirmations nor were allowed to appear for examinations. When confronted, the accused allegedly avoided queries and failed to refund the collected money.

The scam came to light after complaints were lodged at the Jharsuguda Cyber Police Station by victims, including Preetirani Panda and Akankshyamayi Suna. They alleged that they had paid around Rs 55,000 each for admission but later discovered that no enrolment had been made.

Following the complaints, police launched an investigation under the supervision of senior officials. Initial findings confirmed multiple cases of fraud across police station areas including Laikera, Orient, Lakhanpur, Belpahar and Brajrajnagar.

Jharsuguda SP Gundala Reddy Raghavendra said the accused had systematically targeted unemployed youth and students seeking B.Ed qualifications, exploiting their aspirations through false promises. He added that the racket is suspected to have wider links, and the number of victims may increase as more complaints surface.

Both accused have been arrested, and further investigation is underway to trace other individuals involved and recover the defrauded money.

Authorities have advised students to verify the authenticity of institutions and admission processes before making payments. The case has raised serious concerns over the growing prevalence of fraudulent education rackets in the region and the need for stricter monitoring to safeguard students.