Members of the management body of a paramedical college and its dean here in Maharashtra have been booked for allegedly cheating students by offering them fake degrees in the name of a Rajasthan-based university, police said on July 9.

The management of NET paramedical college and its dean Purushottam Tahilramani were booked on July 8 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for cheating and forgery, said senior inspector, A V Deshmukh, Kapurbawdi police station.

Tahilramani had earlier been arrested on forgery charges. According to police, the accused charged Rs 1.20 lakh fees per student for diploma and degree pharmacy courses assuring them that they will receive certificates from a varsity in Rajasthan, which has been derecognised by the Pharmacy Council of India.

In a complaint lodged with the police, students claimed that they were beaten up at the varsity by its chairman and others. The number of students cheated in this manner could go up to 700, a police official said.