Ranchi, Jan. 31 :     The CBI today arrested four persons, including a security guard of Ranchi University and seized a large number of fake certificates, admit cards, provisional certificates of Ranchi and other universities, boards and councils in connection with the fake degrees scam. CBI sources today said a former university controller of examinations, was suspected to have started the scam. Sources said the scandal, which has been flourishing for decades, came to light when a 'degree' certificate along with a sworn affidavit filed by transporter Pradip Kumar of Chakradharpur in West Singhbhum district before the Ranchi bench of the Patna High Court was detected as fake by the Ranchi University. Following the disclosure, the court referred the matter to the CBI for investigation. Sources said preliminary interrogation of Pradip Kumar and his associate Dilip Kumar Singh by the CBI revealed that a group with high-level contacts in Ranchi University was issuing fake bachelor's degree certificates for hefty sums. Kumar admitted paying a former controller of examinations Rs 20,000 through one Sabir Khan, a security guard at the examination department for a Bachelor of Arts degree. The degree was mandatory for procuring a road permit for his vehicles. Sources said the examination of tabulation registers revealed that Kumar's name was inserted in ink at the end of the register while other names were found typed. Following the disclosures, the police raided the residences of school-teacher Bhukhla Bhagat, at Lodhna and Sabir Khan. They recovered rubber seals, printed admit cards, provisional certificates, blocks and other incriminating documents. Sources added that in addition to fake degrees and rubber seals of Ranchi University, CBI sleuths also recovered fake degrees and rubber seals of Patna University, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Bihar School Intermediate Council, Kameshwar Singh Institute of Technology, Megra, and Mithila University. All the four persons, Pradip Kumar, Dilip Kumar Singh, Ranchi University security guard Sabir Khan and school teacher Bhukhla Bhagat have been arrested by the CBI. Doctors arrested Two doctors of the local Raj Hospital in Ranchi were arrested on charges of negligence and causing death of a patient during surgery. Suraj Prakash, 35, a lawyer at the Ranchi bench of the Patna High Court, had been admitted to Raj Hospital for treatment of appendicitis which the doctors advised be removed immediately. Hospital administrator Y. Gambhir said the patient's death was because of post-operative complications.