What started as a made-up kidnapping story in Uttar Pradesh‘s Etah has instead exposed a four-year-old fake university and college scam, one that allegedly churned out bogus degrees from a farm. Even more curious, the man officially listed as the institution’s chairman is a 40-year-old, illiterate tea seller.The police said the false kidnapping case, involving Satendra Kumar, 35, the main accused and manager of the fake institute, was filed by his brother, Ram Sevak, who alleged that three persons had kidnapped Satendra and demanded a ransom of Rs 2 lakh. During the investigation, the police uncovered the fake institution and found that the kidnapping case had actually been filed to avoid returning money collected from enrolled students.The Etah police on Saturday arrested five people in the case: Satendra Kumar, 35, Narendra alias Pappu, 38, Bhagwan Das, 43, Mohammad Sharif Qureshi, 72 of Etah, and Gaurav Agarwal, 40 of Kasganj.Satendra Kumar had allegedly started the fake institute, posing as the university’s vice-chancellor, while Mohammad Sharif Qureshi was identified as the principal. Bhagwan Das, an illiterate man who runs a tea stall, allegedly served as chairman, while Gaurav Agarwal is the son of a retired chief medical officer. The others were involved in handling admissions, preparing fake documents, and advertising the institute.According to the police, they were informed on Wednesday (September 16) by Ram Sevak that his elder brother, Satendra Kumar, had been kidnapped in a car from BS College and University by three men demanding a ransom of Rs 2 lakh. The police registered an FIR at the Marhara police station and began an investigation.Also Read | 50 cases, Rs 30 lakh bounty: Who was naxal commander Brijesh Ganjhu killed in encounterDuring the probe, the police examined mobile phone locations and other technical evidence, tracing Satendra’s whereabouts to Agra, where a team recovered him safely. Investigators found that Satendra had staged his own kidnapping after coming under pressure to return money collected from students, some of whom had sought refunds after their admissions were cancelled.When questioned, Satendra Kumar first told police that the college was affiliated with an institution in Hapur; when this proved false, he named another institution, which also turned out to be false.Story continues below this adThe police learnt that the fake institution had been operating since 2022 under the name BS College and University from a single-storey building on a field in Mehmoodpur Nagaria village, under the Marhara police station area. Spanning around four bighas of land, the building comprised 10 rooms, some furnished, but it had no laboratory facility for students.The institute collected money from students across Etah, Kasganj, Aligarh, Agra, and Hathras by offering admission to various courses, including D Pharma, BPharma, and BSc nursing. Students were charged varying amounts depending on the course and handed forged academic documents. Records showed 54 registered students in the current session, though police suspect hundreds may have been previously enrolled. No student ever actually attended classes there.During the visit, the police recovered a complete fabricated academic record. Items seized included one laptop and four fake bank cheques; 16 fake student ID cards, application forms, and attendance sheets; fake fee receipts, examination answer booklets, and fake question papers; one fake seal, letterheads bearing fake seals, and fake marksheets; and pamphlets and promotional material bearing a fake university code.The police noted that Satendra Kumar has four prior criminal cases against him, while Narendra has two. Detailed investigations into the matter are ongoing.