MBBS admission Fraud: Conman arrested for duping 10 aspirants of Rs 1.08 crore

Belagavi: Amid the nationwide uproar and the controversy surrounding NEET this year, the Belagavi city police have recently arrested a conman from Mumbai, accused of deceiving at least 10 aspirants from Belagavi by promising them seats at reputed government medical colleges and taking Rs 1.08 crore from them in exchange.

The accused reportedly targeted medical aspirants who scored low marks in the NEET examination. Taking advantage of their vulnerability, the accused offered them a seat at the government medical colleges and collected a minimum of Rs 20 lakh from each.

The alleged scam occurred back in 2023 when the accused established a NEET guidance centre in Belagavi city and employed local youths to contact and lure the aspirants. In this way, 10 aspirants fell victim to the scam and lost their money. However, the incident came to light after a female student from Bidar, who was also deceived by the accused filed a police complaint in November 2023.

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As per a TOI news report, In addition to deceiving the 10 aspirants, the accused had also defrauded more aspirants from various states, resulting in a total of 15 pending complaints against him in different parts of the country. 

The police uncovered the background of the accused during their investigation following the complaint in 2023. However, they struggled to locate the culprit as he kept changing his phone number while on the run. 

Further, the police intensified their search, forming a special team that eventually tracked him down in Mumbai and arrested him. He was subsequently brought back to Belagavi and presented before the court.

“The accused was frequently changing his phone number and communicating with people via instant messaging apps. We got a breakthrough, reached Mumbai and arrested the accused,” DCP Rohan Jagadish told TOI. The police have seized Rs 12 lakh cash, 15 computers, one laptop and five mobile phones from him. 

DCP Rohan said "He had completed his MBA with distinction. He opened an office in connection with NEET counselling and hired employees. He targeted students who scored low marks in NEET exams and lured them with the promise of securing a medical seat for them under the govt quota using his influence. He charged lakhs of rupees from them and fled the city."

During the investigation, it was found that the first case against the accused was registered in Hyderabad in 2016 at Punjagutta police station followed by more complaints in Bhopal and then Bengaluru in 2021 at RT Nagar and Ashok Nagar police stations.

A case was registered against the accused and he was produced before the court a few days ago. He is currently in the police custody. 

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