Police turn heat on duped student

Medical seat aspirant from Rajasthan grilled about source of Rs 18 lakh he gave absconding 'racketeers' to get him into MVJ College

Police turn heat on duped student

Medical seat aspirant from Rajasthan grilled about source of Rs 18 lakh he gave absconding 'racketeers' to get him into MVJ College

After he filed a cheating complaint against a city-based 'educational consultant' firm for taking Rs 18 lakh from him for an MBBS seat that did not exist, a student from Rajasthan is facing questions over the source of his money.

It is the second time in recent days that the NEXT Foundation Consultants Private Limited has been accused of promising medical aspirants a seat in MVJ College if they had the money for it and disappearing upon receiving the payment.

Hawala suspicion

As the police try to find the men from NEXT Foundation Consultants accused by Sakir Mohammed (20) of Bhilwadi in the latest case against them, they also want to know whether the complainant used hawala channels or any other illegal means to get the cash to Bangalore.

In his complaint to the police, Sakir Mohammed said two men called Rajiv Singh and Sudeep Chakraborthy of NEXT took Rs 18 lakh from him, promising to get him into MVJ College.

The accused took him to a man called Ramani, who they said was the college principal.

Ramani allegedly assured Sakir Mohammed of a medical seat and asked him to pay the required amount in fees to accused Singh and Chakraborthy.

The case is being investigated by the Frazer Town police.

'Inter-state cheats'

The police said the consultants are "inter-state cheats," having duped many students not only in Bangalore but also in many other parts of the country. "We are on the lookout for the accused, who are absconding. The two are involved in an inter-state fraud and are wanted by many police stations across India," said B B Ashok Kumar, assistant commissioner of police, Frazer Town sub-division. "Students and their parents should be careful before handing over cash to such people."

Kumar added that they were also verifying the source of Mohammed's money, asu00a0 he could not satisfactorily answer how such a large amount of money was brought to the city. "We strongly suspect that Sakir might have used hawala channels to bring the money here and are investigating this angle," Kumar said.

Forged certificate

Going by the student's account, the cash was reportedly brought by Sakir Mohammed's uncle, Akbar Khan, and handed over to Singh and Chakraborthy at their office in Mittal Towers on MG Road on July 19.

The consultants issued a receipt and a letter certifying his admission and asking him to go to the college on the first day of the academic year and complete other formalities.

When Sakir Ahmed arrived in college with the provisional admission certificate issued by Singh and Chakraborthy, the college authorities found the certificate to be a forgery and told him that he had been duped. The college authorities told him his fees had not reached them and he could not be admitted to the college.

Sakir Mohammed rushed to the NEXT office, only to find it locked. "We have also sealed a house belonging to the accused and are investigating further," said Kumar. The police officer added they had also seized documents and other material from the office of the accused.

A Previous case
Au00a0businessman from Uttar Pradesh was allegedly cheated in a similar manner as Sakir Mohammed, by Rajiv Singh and Sudeep Chakraborthy of NEXT Foundation Consultants Private Limited. They reportedly took Rs 10 lakh from the businessman, Pradeep Kumar Sharma, promising him an MBBS seat for his son.

The two took him to MVJ Institute and introduced him to Ramani, who they said was the principal and who assured him of a 'payment seat.' The two then took the money from Sharma and asked him to bring his son to the college on the first day of the academic year. The cheating came to light when the victim was refused admission.