MBBS admissions: SIT finds four arrested accused duped several aspirants from the city

During the probe, the SIT has found the involvement of four members of the interstate racket and based on a lead, a police team comprising four officials visited Kolkata in the first week of March. On March 7, the team arrested the four from Kolkata for allegedly duping four MBBS aspirants of ₹1.17 crore

MUMBAI: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the crime branch has found that the four people recently arrested from Kolkata in connection with the MBBS admissions have duped many students from Maharashtra.

MBBS admissions: SIT finds four arrested accused duped several aspirants from the city

The accused allegedly duped four MBBS aspirants of ₹1.17 crore under the pretext of providing them admission through management quota in a medical college in Mumbai. They are in police custody till March 17.

The SIT has seized ₹12 lakh in cash and several forged documents from the residences of the arrested accused in Mumbai and Kolkata.

During the probe, the SIT has found the involvement of four members of the interstate racket and based on a lead, a police team comprising four officials visited Kolkata in the first week of March. On March 7, the team arrested the four from Kolkata for allegedly duping four MBBS aspirants of ₹1.17 crore under the pretext of providing them admission through management quota in a medical college in Mumbai.

The quartet is identified as Aamir Khan, 29, Abhijit Kumar alias Vishal Chaudhary, 29, Ahmed Raj alias Kunal, 28, and Ali Malik, alias Prithvi, 28.

The probe started in December 2022, when a case was registered at the JJ Marg police station, and the arrests were made after two arrested earlier - Ganesh Raokhande and Luv Gupta provided the details of the Kolkata gang who had duped four aspirants and took from ₹25 lakh to ₹40 lakh from each of them on fake promises.

Last month, special police commissioner Deven Bharti formed the SIT after they learnt that seven cases related to MBBS aspirants cheating were registered in JJ Marg and MRA Marg police stations. All seven cases were transferred to the SIT to probe.

During interrogation, police learnt that the gang has duped many more medical aspirants from Maharashtra and there was one more case registered against them in Alibag where the aspirant was duped with a similar modus operandi.

“They had accessed the contact list of the students who cleared NEET and spoke to them using fake names and took money by promising them admissions in top colleges,” said a crime branch officer.

In another similar case, on March 1, the SIT arrested two accused Iftikhar Ahmed Mustaq Ahmed alias Abhay Singh or Gautam, 31, a resident of Noida and Gupta, 35, a native of Jaipur for allegedly duping an MBBS aspirant of ₹6.5 lakh on the pretext of providing admission through management quota in a medical college at Mumbai. Both the accused are software engineers and were earlier arrested by Navi Mumbai Police in a similar case.