Forged Osmania University degree lands NRI in Saudi jail

The NRI, who was working as engineer, had submitted what he claimed to be Osmania University’s engineering degree, which was later found to be a forged one

Jeddah: Some expatriates, whose visa professional status required qualifications, are feeling the heat in authenticating academic qualification documents. Besides engineers, scores of other technical job visa holding expatriate employees are required to authenticate their qualification certificates and enroll into professional bodies for visa renewal.

The foolproof system has eliminated forgery and counterfeiting of any document, yet some Indians are falling on the wrong side of law by submitting counterfeit degrees. In an ongoing series of cases, an Indian hailing from Telangana was sentenced to one year imprisonment and to pay a fine of 5000 Saudi Riyals in addition to being deported from the country upon completing the jail term.

---

The NRI, who was working as engineer, had submitted what he claimed to be Osmania University’s engineering degree, which was later found to be a forged one.

Earlier, some NRIs were using counterfeit certificates to boost their employment prospects, while some are now unsuccessfully trying to use those to retain their job visas. This is not an isolated case but often such cases come to fore among South Asian expatriates as the Kingdom intensifies its efforts to curb the expatriates who continue their jobs without required qualifications.

Some expatriates even left their jobs and returned home to avoid penal measures prior to visa renewal.