The accused had taken Rs 20 lakh on pretext of procuring admission at JJ Medical College in Mumbai, but disappeared with the money
Accused Pradeep Singh, seen here after arrest, had moved to Delhi
Never mess with a father, especially on the pretext of helping his child, is the message a determined businessman has sent with his actions. He resolved to punish the person who had cheated him of Rs 20 lakh, claiming to get his daughter admission to an MBBS course, and turned sleuth not only to trace the cheat himself, but ensure that he was arrested. His daughter had lost two academic years while waiting for this admission. The Kurar police arrested the 45-year-old accused from Delhi on Monday.
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Conned due to admission
According to police sources, Vishwanath Sahu, who stays with his family in Malad East, owns an imitation jewellery business. In 2014, he was seeking admission at JJ Medical College for his daughter when he met the accused, identified as Pradeep Singh in Patna, through a friend. Singh posed as a real estate broker and claimed to have contacts in many medical colleges across India.
He allegedly told Sahu he could procure the MBBS admission for his daughter at JJ. He also allegedly asked Sahu for Rs 25 lakh for this. "I sold a plot of land I owned in my village and gave R20 lakh to Singh," said Sahu. But whenever Sahu enquired about the admission, Singh would say the documents are under process. When months passed, he pressured Singh.
But one day he allegedly showed a call letter from Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Jharkhand. "I refused to accept it and Singh then assured admission in JJ Medical College. But after few days his mobile phone was switched off. Almost a year later I came to know that he was living in Delhi and in the real estate business," said Sahu.
Businessman turns detective
Intent on catching him, Sahu got hold of the accused's photo from the DP of his wife's WhatsApp account. "I sent it to several people I knew in Delhi. I also went there myself, and hired four detectives, paying them Rs 10,000 each, to find Singh. In July last year, I approached the Kurar police, and registered a complaint against Singh," said Sahu.
"I gave all the information including Singh's contact number and information I got from the detectives to the police officers. Last week, the police took me along with them to Delhi and caught Singh from his residence at Palam Village," he said.
"My daughter lost two precious years of education while we waited for the admission. In 2016, she gave the NET entrance exam and got admission to a Bangalore medical college," Sahu added.
Police speak
"Singh was hiding in Delhi after changing his contact number. With the help of the complainant and call data records of the accused, we traced him," said a police officer from Kurar police station. Singh was produced in court on Tuesday and remanded in police custody, an officer said.
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