Bengaluru: Four arrested for duping medical seat aspirant

Bengaluru: Highgrounds police have apprehended four inter-state fraudsters who duped aspirants of Rs 10.80 lakhs under the pretense of securing medical seats.

The accused, identified as Nikhil Jwalapur from Bihar, Ashutosh, Basant Kumar, and Ashish Anand from Uttar Pradesh, were taken into custody, and the entire sum was recovered from them.

The fraud came to light after a complaint by the parents of a medical seat aspirant.

According to the complainant, Jeevan, the son of Manjunath, was in search of alternative options to enroll for a medical seat after failing to secure a rank in the NEET examination.

Meanwhile, Jeevan’s brother received an enticing message promising a medical seat for Rs 75 lakh.  Subsequently, an unidentified woman, introducing herself as Roshni, contacted Manjunath and claimed to help facilitate medical admissions.

Roshni assured Manjunath that his son could secure a seat in a prestigious college in Davanagere for a fee of Rs 60 lakhs. A meeting was arranged at an office on Cunningham Road, Bengaluru, on September 24, where a person identifying as Yogish negotiated the terms. Yogish promised to secure a medical seat at the government stipulated fee, requesting a commission of Rs 3 lakh for his services.

Upon further instructions, Manjunath’s wife Kala, met with the accused Ashutosh and Nikhil at the said office. They provided her with a bank account number for depositing the funds. Consequently, Manjunath transferred Rs 10.80 lakh through RTGS in multiple installments.

However, suspicions arose when attempts to contact Yogish on September 27 proved futile. Further inquiries revealed the accused suddenly disappeared from their Cunningham Road office. Realizing the deception, Kala promptly filed a complaint with the High Grounds police station.

After a thorough technical investigation, police identified and located the four fraudsters. Police are also on the lookout for four more accused, who are absconding.

It has been discovered that the accused operated with a team of over ten staff members trying to dupe students aspiring to become doctors. A search of the accused’s office yielded evidence, including bank account details, cheques, computers, mobile phones, and pertinent documents. Central Division Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shekhar HT, said that steps have been initiated to freeze the accounts of the accused.