Sacked controller exams booked in fake certificates case

The sacked Controller Examination of Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Mirpurkhas, Anwar Aleem Khanzada, has been booked in an FIR for minting over Rs2 billion by issuing fake educational certificates. The case was registered on Monday in Mirpurkhas under sections 420, 428, 471, 109 and 34 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and section 5 (2) of The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 the Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE). Besides Khanzada, the fired superintendent Shahid Latif, Azam Khan of IT Department, a private agent Falak Sher and unknown persons have also been nominated in the FIR. The complainant, Inspector Dileep Kumar, stated that the accused made Rs1.269 billion by issuing 2,539 fake certificates of matric and intermediate during a period from 2021 to 2025. Another amount of more than Rs776 million was allegedly earned by tampering results after declaration of results. According to Kumar, who cited forensic examination of the BISE Mirpurkhas computers, 7,403 cases of tampering allegedly occurred in 2024 and 8,124 in 2025. "The accused persons operated an organised network," the inspector claimed. He added that the network was involved in enhancement of marks and grades; conversion of results of failing students; issuance of fake marks sheets and certificates; and using fake seals of schools and fake gazettes. The FIR charged the accused with 'criminal misconduct, forgery of public documents, cheating, fraud and criminal abuse of official authority'. Both the accused have also been arrested. Kumar acknowledged that the ACE started the probe after the alleged corruption racket was exposed by the district police of Mirpurkhas. According to him, Deputy Director ACE Asad Ali Mirani and Assistant Director Rehmatullah Rajpar in addition to two inspectors of ACE conducted an inquiry in the matter and paid surprise visit to the board's office, as well prior to the FIR. Khanzada was suspended from his post on March 9 and on March 16 Mirpurkhas police declared arrest of Azam Khan who disclosed before the media how the alleged network of corruption functioned under Khanzada. He was dismissed from service on March 31 while ACE arrested him on April 17. The accusations about the number of 2,539 fake certificates was also confirmed by the incumbent chairman of BISE Mirpurkhas Col (r) Dr Syed Muhammad Alamdar Raza. In a press statement last month, he issued a list of the seat numbers of matric and intermediate classes against which undue favours were extended.