KARACHI: A judicial magistrate convicted four persons, including a student of using forged documents, including a degree of the University of Karachi (KU), to obtain a US student visa.

Judicial Magistrate (South) Sajjad Ali Jamali, found student Priyanka Devi, consultant Marium Adil, Syed Aman Naeem and Rasheed guilty of the offences of forgery and cheating under the Pakistan Penal Code.

The court also awarded jail term to Priyanka, who was sentenced to imprisonment for two years for the offence of forgery, three years for using forged documents as genuine and one year for cheating.

The three co-accused were sentenced to two years each for forgery.

The court also imposed fines on the convicts, and on default they would serve additional imprisonment.

“The fake/ bogus educational certificate/ degree is a menace to society. Circulation of fake degrees and certificates is a menace to the society and a serious threat to the integrity of both the certificate/ degree holder and educational institution that awarded the same,” the court observed.

The court also noted that Priyanka had deliberately used the forged documents three times before the US Consulate in Karachi as genuine ones for obtaining the US student visa, and the BBA degree she had used was also declared forged by the KU.

“It is settled principle of law a man could tell a lie but a document could not because without knowledge, intention and consent of the accused Priyanka Devi such act of preparation of fake/ forged dree and transcript of BBA as well as its subsequently presenting before the US Consulate, Karachi for obtaining of the US student Visa is not possible. The record reveals that if she succeeded in such an act she would become the ultimate beneficiary of such forged documents,” the court noted in its order.

According to Muhamad Sadiq Metlo, assistant director legal of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the US Consulate General in Karachi had filed a complaint in February along with documents. In the complaint, the consulate alleged that accused Priyanka — who had completed only intermediate — had submitted bogus documents for obtaining a US Student F-1 Visa.

Last year in Oct, the accused appeared in the consulate for an interview, where she admitted a counterfeit bachelor degree and transcript from the KU.

She contacted consultant Marium from the Global Step, who had advised her to apply for admission into two American universities.

Priyanka asked co-accused Aman to arrange a counterfeit Bachelor’s degree in business administration from the KU, the letter said.

According to the FIA, Priyanka came in contact with Marium, where she expressed her desire to study in the US.

She also informed the consultant that she had completed FSC and was studying in the BBA at Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai University, Khairpur.

After their discussion, Marium allegedly advised Priyanka to obtain a fake bachelor’s degree, along with a bank letter, visiting card, educational documents, and a sponsor’s bank statement, to increase her chances of securing a US visa.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2024