17-year-old promised ‘medical seat’, father duped of ₹10.45 lakh

The Tulinj police recently booked an unidentified fraudster for duping a 46-year-old man of ₹10.45 lakh by promising to get the latter’s 17-year-old son admitted

The Tulinj police recently booked an unidentified fraudster for duping a 46-year-old man of ₹10.45 lakh by promising to get the latter’s 17-year-old son admitted to a medical college in New Delhi. The accused claimed to be a doctor working at a well-known hospital in New Delhi and contacted the son through email.

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According to the police, the complainant, Ashok Kumar Uma Narayan Mishra, a fabricator, stays with his family in Ambawadi, Nallasopara (East). His son, Vishal, had scored good marks in Class 12 and the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET).

Police said Vishal had applied for admissions to various medical colleges and got a few responses. On June 26, he received an email from the fraudster who introduced himself as Dr Harsh Kothari, who worked at a famous hospital in New Delhi. The fraudster assured that he could get Vishal admitted to a well-known medical college in New Delhi.

Mishra kept in contact with the fraudster. The accused told Mishra that the total cost for the medical seat will be ₹10.45 lakh, which will include tuition fees, donation and other charges. From July 16 to July 23, Mishra sent the amount to an account in New Delhi. The fraudster then sent Mishra the confirmation of admission and other documents through emails, police said.

“Mishra and Vishal went to the New Delhi college only to be told that the college had not admitted Vishal for any course. When Mishra went to confront ‘Dr Harsh Kothari’, he was told that no one by that name existed,” said inspector DS Patil of Tulinj police station. The police registered a case under Section 420 (cheating) of the IPC and Sections 66(b), and 66(c) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, against the accused.