In a recent case in Mumbai, a 56-year-old man was arrested for defrauding a doctor and his family of ₹82 lakh by promising to secure medical college admission in Pune. The doctor, who had completed his MBBS in 2019, aspired to pursue an MD in radiology. The scam also involves three other suspects who are still at large, as per a case registered at the Borivali police station in December of last year.
The young doctor had appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to secure admission for an MD but was unsuccessful. Despite their efforts to get admission through the management quota, his family was unable to help him secure a spot in any medical program.
In 2022, the doctor’s father met a man named Sandeep, who claimed to have connections that could get the doctor admitted to an MD program through the NRI quota. Sandeep initially demanded ₹2 lakh, but the father refused to hand over such a large sum of money upfront. However, Sandeep remained persistent and invited the doctor to Aurangabad, promising to secure him a seat in a reputed medical college for an MD in radiology.
Sandeep introduced the doctor to two men, Anil and Abhijeet, who advised him to get his NEET score re-evaluated.
In Aurangabad, Sandeep introduced the doctor to two men, Anil and Abhijeet, who suggested that he have his NEET score re-evaluated. The accused provided an email address for the doctor to request a re-evaluation. Three days later, the doctor received an email stating that he had been allocated a seat to pursue his MD. On July 10, he also received a "welcome" letter from the supposed dean of a medical college in Pune. The letter even included a roll number, 2166086933, further convincing the doctor and his family that the process was legitimate.
Sandeep then instructed the doctor to travel to Pune, where he met the accused outside a medical college building. At this point, the accused collected all of the doctor's documents and demanded ₹1.7 crore to secure the seat. Despite financial hardships, the doctor and his family managed to pay ₹1.36 crore after taking out loans and mortgaging their gold. In return, the accused handed them a college identity card and a letter from the supposed dean.
As the process continued, the doctor’s father came across another medical student who had also paid the same group a large sum for a promised seat in a medical college but never received the admission. When that student discovered that all the documents given to him were fake, the accused refunded his money. This raised suspicion in the doctor's father, who then confronted Sandeep and his associates.
To the family's shock, the accused offered to refund their money as well. However, they only refunded ₹54 lakh, leaving the doctor and his family short of the full amount. The delay in receiving a full refund led the doctor to lose an academic year, as classes had already begun at medical colleges by then. Realising they had been deceived and were not going to receive the full refund, the family reported the matter to the Borivali police station.
A police officer commented, “The victim was going to lose an academic year as the academic sessions had begun in medical colleges. But the accused refunded only ₹54 lakh.”
The victim was going to lose an academic year as the academic sessions had begun in medical colleges. But the accused refunded only ₹54 lakhpolice officer.
Authorities are continuing the investigation, and three more suspects remain wanted in connection to the scam. The arrested suspect is currently in custody, while the doctor and his family seek justice for the loss they have suffered, both financially and academically.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Yash Kamble/MSM)