From: [email protected]
To:
Fake bishop arrested in Kerala
Preliminary investigations have revealed that George amassed large assets
through his business.
Posted on July 28, 2015, 8:53 AM
Thiruvananthapuram:
Police in Kerala have arrested a man for impersonating as a bishop
and operating a racket to sell fake educational certificates.
Police
have pressed charges of forgery and cheating against James George, 54,
who took the name Bishop Yacob Mar Gregorios and claimed that he was the
Catholicos of Bharathiya Orthodox Church based in Kollam district.
District
police chief M. S. Santhosh said George ordained himself as a bishop as
well as the universal head of the non-existent church. He also dressed
himself as eastern rite bishops and spotted a beard to give credence to
his con business, the police officer added.
George’s arrest came
after a woman named Zeenath was arrested by police for selling fake
degree certificates from her office in Trissur, a town some 300
kilometers north of Kollam.
During interrogation, police found that George and his Modern Group firm
provided the certificates to her.
Santhosh
said hundreds of young people seeking job abroad became his victim. He
issued fake certificates of graduation, post graduation and doctorate
besides professional degrees on subjects like business management.
“We
have arrested him after a tipoff and raided his headquarters. We have
confiscated more than hundred certificates issued by fake universities
operating in India and abroad,” the police official said.
He said that the police are conducting detailed investigation and arrested one
of George’s office secretary.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that George had amassed large assets
through his business.
"We are moving the court to freeze his assets,” a senior police official said
on the basis of anonymity.
According
to the police, George charged almost US$ 4,000 for a doctorate or
postgraduate degree in business administration. Graduation certificates
were available for US$1,000.
"Only after a detailed investigation we would know the scale of his
operations,” the police official said.
Rajesh
Kurup, a native of Kollam, said that George operated an establishment
called Modern Group and it used to promote itself as an institution
coaching students for degrees and diplomas for various courses.
"The group has recently started a new course offering certificate for aspiring
flight crews,” Kurup said.
George
completed his graduation and studied engineering in Kollam before he
ordained himself a priest in 2010 October and soon took the title as
Catholicos Yacob Mar Gregorios.
END
