Fake PhDs, awards for high-profile personalities.
Fake Phalke awards, bogus doctorates given to high-profile personalities, national icons, celebrities – anyone willing to pay a price. Racketeers profit as image-building business booms.
Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts News Exclusive
From a galaxy of film stars to retired judges, sporting heroes, senior bureaucrats and, of course, politicians… it’s an august list of celebrities and leading lights that will take your breath away. But what could they possibly have in common?
The Sprouts Special Investigation team has proof that these personalities – some are national icons we look up to, others make decisions that influence our daily lives – are recipients of fake Phalke awards and bogus PhD degrees peddled by racketeers. But why would these illustrious individuals belittle themselves like this?
First, though, let’s name names. On the list of awardees are tennis star Leander Paes, former Olympian and hockey player Dhanraj Pillay, music composer Anu Malik, playback singers Kumar Sanu and Udit Narayan, Consul-General of Israel, Kobi Shoshani, politician Francisco Sardinha and senior bureaucrat Jyoti Kalash, among many others.
And, yes, we’ve saved the best for last. Sprouts has evidence that Prahlad Damodardas Modi, brother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been invited numerous times as chief guest of functions where these bogus awards and PhDs are handed out. Not surprisingly, he is also the recipient of a fake doctorate, a gesture of gratitude for presiding over these events, time and again.
The racketeers have a simple but effective modus operandi. They dole out fake Phalke awards and bogus PhD degrees to anyone willing to pay for them – one C-grade actress has as many as 10 bogus doctorates! The award functions are graced by public personalities who are invited as chief guests in return for a handsome sum. The racketeers also forge valuable connections in the process, leveraging them as part of their fraudulent dealings.
To lend their organisations a veneer of legitimacy, these canny fraudsters include the name of Dadasaheb Phalke, father of Indian cinema, in the names of their NGOs. Hence, their ‘awards’ mimic the name of the legitimate Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the national honour conferred on eminent film personalities by the Indian government every year.
So, for instance, the ‘Dadasaheb Phalke International Award Film Foundation’ run by fraudster Rajkumar Tak has on at least three occasions distributed fake doctorates at functions graced by Prahlad Damodardas Modi in 2022.
The racket in bogus Phalke awards and fake PhDs is so lucrative that the number of organisations bearing Dadasaheb Phalke’s name has risen dramatically in the last two years, now totaling around 15. Some of these NGOs are registered with the Charity Commissioner, others aren’t.
The brochures of these awards blatantly name the price of these so-called honours. It’s usually Rs 1 lakh, with room to negotiate! To give these fake awards and degrees further credibility, the functions are held at venues such as Maharashtra Sadan, Mayor’s Hall and the official premises of journalists’ associations in various cities. The racketeers then invite noted personalities such as senior police officers, retired judges and ministers as chief guests. All this ensures media coverage and, just like that, these functions and their fraudulent hosts appear legitimate!
Consider this example. On April 28, 2022, a fake PhD distribution programme was held at Sahara Star, a five-star hotel in Mumbai, by fraudster Rajkumar Tak. The doctorate was handed out by the ‘Nelson Mandela Nobel Peace Academy’, a fictitious institute. The chief guest: Prahlad Damodardas Modi. One of the awardees was Chitra Aswad Patil, a former member of the Raigad Zilla Parishad and hailing from an influential family of politicians from Alibaug in Raigad district, in Maharashtra.
Hundreds of people were awarded bogus PhDs at this function. Some of the fake degrees were conferred on behalf of the fictitious St Mother Teresa University for Digital Education Excellence Sustainability Development, ‘accredited by JBR Harvard in America’ and ‘affiliated to the Cambridge School of Distance Education’. Neither exists.
In March 2021, actor Zareen Khan received a bogus doctorate from the ‘Nelson Mandela Nobel Peace Academy’ at a function presided over by Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. The actor later shared images of herself accepting the ‘award’ from Sawant, in a graduation gown and hat!
In her social media post, Khan said, “Thank you Nelson Mandela Nobel Peace Award 2020 for bestowing me with ‘HONORARY DOCTORATE’. Truly overwhelmed. Yours sincerely, DR ZAREEN KHAN. ‘Dr Zareen Khan’! It has a good ring to it, doesn’t it?”
Mansukh Damji Tank alise Raju Tank is not the only fraudster making huge sums from this racket. Kalyanji Jana is another scamster who runs an NGO in the name of Dadasaheb Phalke. He hands out fake doctorates on behalf of the ‘George Washington University of Peace’. Although all these institutes are fictitious, there are hundreds of takers – all for an asking price.
Pawan Kumar Bhoot (Police Public Press magazine) is another fraudster, who doles out bogus PhDs on behalf of the non-existent ‘American East Coast University’.
‘Sprouts’ appeals to the public to beware of this racket – unless, of course, fake image-building is your thing.
Also Read: ₹319 Crore for 58 Acres: Fraudster Gautam Adani Gains Land.
Roster of Fraudsters:
Beware of these individuals selling bogus PhD degrees. Contact the police immediately if you have been scammed:
Vivek Choudhari- ESRDS, Siddic A Muhammed (Dubai), Kalyanji Jana, Riyas Sulaima Lebbe, Francisco Sardinha, Tapan Kumar Rautaray, Pawan Kumar Bhoot, Madhu Krishan, Ghanshyam Sakharam Kolambe, Peeyush Pandit, Abhishek Pandey, Mahendra Shamkant Deshpande (Nashik-Saputara-Gujarat), Lal Bahadur Rana (Nepal), Sunil Singh Pardeshi, Mangesh Deshmukh, Nareshchandra Kathole- Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh IAS Academy, Amravati, Vishwas Arote (reporter), Surykant Rawool, Tarvinder Singh, Kiran Bongale (Sangli), Anwar Sheikh (Pune), Bu Abdullah, Acharya Lokesh Muni, Kavita Bajaj and Mansukh Damji Tank – (Rajkumar Tank), Gaurav Shah- BJP, Anajni Kumar- Delhi.
List of fake universities awarding bogus PhD degrees
► Gandhi Peace Foundation Nepal
► World Culture and Environment Protection Commission
► The George Washington University of Peace, United States of America
► American East Coast University
► Socrates Social Research University
► World Human Rights Protection Commission (WHPRC)
► World Peace of United Nations University
► Mount Elbert Central University
► Maryland State University
► The University of Macaria
► Theophany University
► The Open International University of Complementary Medicine, Sri Lanka
► University of America Hawaii and Inox International University
► World Mystic Science Institute (OPC) Private Limited
► University of South America
► Southwestern American University
► The American University, USA
► Zoroastrian University
► Vinayaka Missions Singhania
► American Heritage University of Southern California (AHUSC)
► Peace University
► Global Human Rights Trust (GHRT)
► Trinity World University, UK
► St Mother Teresa University
► American University of Global Peace
► Jeeva Theological Open University
► World Peace Institute of United Nations
► Global Human Peace University
► Bharat Virtual University for Peace and Education
► National Global Peace University
► Ballsbridge University
► International Open University of Humanity Health, Science and Peace, USA
► Harshal University
► International Internship University
► British National University of Queen Mary
► Jordan River University
► Boston Imperial University
► Dayspring Christian University
► South Western American University
► Global Triumph Virtual University
► Vikramshila Hindi Vidyapeeth
► Jnana Deepa University (Pune)
► Oxfaa University
► Mount Elbert Central University
► Maa Bhuvaneshwari International University
► The Institute of Entrepreneurship and Management Studies (IEMS)
► Ecole Superieure Robert de Sorbon
► Central Christian University
► Azteca University
► University of Swahili
► Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Lok Vidyapith, Amravati
► International Human Rights Ambassador International Peace Corps Association
► Indo Global University, Hyderabad
► Mount Elbert Central University
► McSTEM Eduversity, USA
► Social Awareness and Peace University
► Indian School of Management and Studies
► Socrates Social Research University
► International Global Peace University
► Ballsbridge University
► Commonwealth of Dominica
► International Anti-corruption and Human Rights Council
► Bharat Virtual University
► Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Hindi Vidyapith
► The George Washington University of Peace
► Asia Vedic Culture Research University
► Magic Book of Record
► European Digital University (EDU)
► Hessen International University
► Chicago Open University
List of NGOs giving fake awards and degrees
► Dadasaheb Phalke Icon Awards Film Organisation
► Shri Dadasaheb Phalke International Award Film Foundation
► World Human Protection Commission
► Mahatma Gandhi Global Peace Foundation
► Empower Social and Education Trust
► Nelson Mandela Nobel Award Academy
► Diplomatic Mission Global Peace
Unmesh Gujarathi
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