Mumbai: 8 MBBS aspirants duped of ₹2.5 crore promising college admission

The Mumbai police said that there are chances that more MBBS aspirants would have been cheated by the same gang across the country

The parents of eight MBBS aspirants have been duped of ₹2.5 crore by a ‘medico help desk’ firm by promising admission in management quota, said a senior official of the Mumbai police.

The gang operated out of a commercial building in Vashi (Representative Image)

The accused are now being looked for by the Economic Offence Wing of Navi Mumbai.

The modus operandi of the gang, who operated out of a commercial building at Sector 30A, Vashi, was to identify the candidates who got an average score in Class XII and appeared for NEET exam.

“They somehow had the data base of such students and there is a probability of the accused hacking into government websites to get the data. Only after the accused are arrested, this can be verified,” said a police officer privy to the investigations. “The accused would call the numbers and introduce themselves as representatives from ‘medico help desk’ who are into helping students with MBBS admission via management quota,” the officer added.

According to a first information report (FIR) registered by Pradip More (52) from Bhandup, he first got a call in February this year. The complainant said the caller knew his son’s name and promised admission in any medical college of their choice in Maharashtra within ₹90 lakh and at ₹95 lakh in Karnataka. Pradip More chose a medical college in Ratnagiri. The caller invited the complainant to meet him in their office at Vashi for further procedure. The accused informed the complainant that the total amount required would be ₹70 lakh and he needed to pay ₹12.20 lakh as initial amount. The complainant gave the cheques of the said amount and signed a MOU with the firm. “The MOU signing was just a tactic to gain trust,” the officer added.

In April, as decided between the ‘firm’ and the complainant, Pradip More and his son left for the medical college for further formalities. They were told that one of them from the office would directly join them. The complainant waited there till evening and every time he made a call he was assured by the accused that he was on his way. After evening, the accused stopped answering the calls. The complainant tried calling other people whom he met in the ‘firm’ and all the phones were switched off. Next day when he went to the office of the ‘firm’, the office was shut down. When he spoke to the manager of the commercial building, he learnt that many such parents have been duped and they have been visiting the office. Pradip More then gave a complaint to the Navi Mumbai police. “As per the procedure, in economic offences, the complaint is first enquired upon and then a FIR is lodged. So, after the enquiry which confirmed the crime, a FIR was lodged,” deputy commissioner of police (crime) Suresh Mengade, said.

The case was registered with the Vashi police this week and then transferred to the unit I of EOW.

“Prima facie, at least six accused are involved and we have found eight parents who were duped. There are chances that more parents would have been cheated by the same accused across the country,” the officer added.