SRINAGAR: A doctor in Srinagar says he was duped of Rs 23 lakh by an educational consultancy in Kolkata that allegedly promised an MBBS seat for his nephew, Times of India reported.
According to the Times of India, the complainant — identified as Dr Sajad Ahmad from Rawalpora — visited the consultancy’s office in New Town, Kolkata, last month. Three men, named Vikram, Rajeev Kumar, and Neeraj Singh, assured him of a “guaranteed” admission at a private medical college in Budge Budge, for which they demanded Rs 23 lakh.
Dr Ahmad paid the amount in two tranches: Rs 15 lakh via RTGS and Rs 8 lakh in cash, the report states.
The agency also asked for his nephew’s academic documents and helped him register for West Bengal’s counselling process.
However, things unraveled when Dr Ahmad says he received a fake admission letter and was told the agency staff would pick him and his nephew up from a hotel to go to college. When they finally reached the college, there was no one to meet them — the phones of the three men had been switched off, and the college authorities denied any association with them.
Dr Ahmad returned to the agency’s office, but security personnel refused him entry. He later visited with police, only to find that the office had been shut, many of the gadgets were missing, and even the register pages with his name were torn.
He added that the documents he had submitted as “surety” were nowhere to be found.
Police confirmed that another person, Ashok Kumar Boral, was also cheated by the same agency — Boral allegedly paid Rs 20 lakh under similar promises.
This case raises broader concerns about the proliferation of fraudulent medical-admission consultancies, especially those that exploit the desperation of parents and relatives seeking MBBS seats for their wards.
