BURAIDAH — A professor of physics holding a PhD was detained for allegedly forging all types of certificates. The Arab national, teaching at a private college in Qassim, was charged with forging university certificates and selling them at prices ranging from SR700 to SR50,000. Police search and investigation teams received information about the professor's activities and set up a plan to catch him red handed. A Saudi, sent as a potential buyer of a fake degree, struck a deal with the professor to receive the certificate for a certain amount at an appointed time and place. The police moved in while the transaction was in progress and found a large number of blank diplomas and certificates inside the professor's home. Official government stamps and SR50,000 in cash were also seized. Spokesman of Qassim Police Col. Fahad Al-Habdan said the Arab national was producing bogus certificates in the name of reputed local and international universities. The forgery operation also involved training certificates and language certificates including the TOEFL test. Al-Habdan said during investigations, some of the institutions verified that the certificates were forged. In all, 32 government stamps and 16,870 certificates were confiscated from the professor's home, he added. The case has been referred to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution for further action.
