POLICE believe they might have cracked a massive syndicate after confiscating about 1 100 counterfeit Unisa degrees, Chinese passports and fake residency permits in Johannesburg.

OR Tambo International Airport detectives found three Home Affairs stamps and one immigration stamp among piles of fake degrees, temporary South African residency permits and visitors visas at a house in Edenvale last week.

Investigations led them to the house on Thursday evening where they arrested a Chinese man and woman, aged 53 and 47 respectively. Over 1100 "very good counterfeit" Unisa degrees which had the signature of the university's rector and the SA Qualifications Authority sticker were found at the house.

Police spokesman Captain Dennis Adriao said the certificates - some of which had the "student" names on them and others which were blank - were for bachelors, honours, masters and doctorate degrees.

"It is a concern that the degrees were of a very high quality forgery," said Adriao, who suggested that police would investigate if there were any Unisa employees involved in the syndicate.

One hundred brand-new Chinese passports complete with photographs and names, one old South African passport, one Japanese passport and four South African IDs were also found at the house.

The male suspect is also wanted for two previous cases from November 2007 and February 2008 after he failed to appear in court when he had paid R160000 in bail.

Adriao described the bust as a "definite breakthrough" and "very successful". "We are in the process of linking up with international law enforcement authorities and verifying details," he said.

The Department of Home Affairs is investigating how two stamps from its Johannesburg office and one from its OR Tambo office were found at the suspects' home.

The two will appear in the Germiston Magistrate's Court today.