Anna University’s complaint | Key suspect in fake doctorate scam held in Ambur

The accused, who issued ‘doctorates’ to celebrities, had gone into hiding after a case was registered against him by the Anna University and a retired Madras High Court judge

Raja Harish, the key suspect in the awarding of fake doctorate degrees at a function held recently on the campus of Anna University, Chennai, was arrested by a special police team from Ambur town near Tirupattur early on March 5.

The accused, who issued ‘doctorates’ to celebrities through his own organisation functioning under the nomenclature international anti-corruption and human rights council, had gone into hiding after a case was registered against him by the Anna University and retired Madras High Court judge Justice Vallinayagam.

The university authorities alleged he had misused the former judge’s name to get the premises on rent and organised a function misleading the recipients that the doctorate degree was being conferred by the university.

Police said Mr. Harish, was hiding in the house of his friend, S. Kuttiraja, a junior artiste, in Vadivelu Nagar on the fringes of Sanan Kuppam reserve forest (RF) in Ambur town for the past few days. The house belongs to Kuttiraja’s wife, K. Krithika, who was present at the time of the arrest of the suspect by the special police team. He was secured by the police at around 2 a.m.

“The entire operation was done by a special police team from Chennai. We just provided local support including identification of the exact location of the suspect’s hideout,” K.S. Balakrishnan, SP (Tirupattur), told The Hindu. Immediately, the special team took the suspect to Chennai for further investigation.

The Madras High Court has also refused anticipatory bail to Mr. Harish, accepting the stand of the Kotturpuram police in Chennai that the probe is in the preliminary stage and granting bail at this stage would be detrimental to the investigation, Justice T. V. Tamilselvi dismissed the bail application.