Bareilly (UP) | A fake doctor was arrested for selling fraudulent medical degrees to over 400 students and duping them off over Rs 3 crore, police said on Wednesday.

The accused was identified as Vijay Sharma, they said.

Superintendent of Police Manush Pareek said, "The investigation revealed that Khusro Memorial P.G. College had issued fake MBBS degrees from various universities to approximately 400 students. The college management that included Vijay Sharma collected around ₹3.7 crore in fees from these students who were unaware of the fraudulent degrees until they attempted to apply for licenses or jobs."

Vijay Sharma used to claim to have a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) degree which was found to be a lie in the police investigation, Pareek said.

Two persons including the owner of the college were arrested last week in connection with the case and the college was sealed by the administration. Sharma, who was absconding, was arrested by a police team on Wednesday. He admitted to being involved in a scheme to create and sell fake degrees, Pareek added.

"Sharma said that he and his associates had generated fake degrees from universities in Orissa, Himachal Pradesh, Roorkee, and Kanpur. The funds obtained from selling these degrees were used to acquire substantial property," the SP said.

Sharma has a criminal record, including three cases registered against him for fraud and forgery. He had previously completed a course in Naturopathy and Yoga Sciences and established a consultancy organization that issued fake degrees to graduates, the officer added.