For a medical berth, Delhi parents lose Rs 1 crore

NEW DELHI: A couple has been duped of Rs 1 crore for securing their daughter's admission in a medical college. They were allegedly approached by three people who claimed to have strong connections in a ministry and assured them of admission.

Trusting them, the couple, residents of west Delhi's Kirti Nagar, handed over the money, only to realise later that they were scammed. Nobody has been arrested yet.The complainant, the girl's mother, told police that they were approached by two persons, including a woman, who claimed to have strong connections in Medical Council of India. The accused introduced them to a third person, a man who, they said, visited ministry offices regularly and had a good reputation among senior officials.

Together, they assured the couple that their daughter could be admitted to a medical college in Delhi's Rohini through the management quota.

Between 2021 and 2022, the accused held several meetings with the couple, during which they demanded Rs 1.10 crore to facilitate the admission. The amount was paid in multiple instalments through bank transfers and cash payments, including large sums handed over at hotels near Indira Gandhi International Airport.

To assure the couple of their sincerity, the accused provided security cheques worth Rs 32.5 lakh.

One of these cheques bounced later.The family kept receiving false promises and even fake emails that suggested the admission process was on. The accused warned the couple not to approach the college directly, threatening that such action might jeopardise their daughter's admission. It was only when the couple visited the college after a long wait that the truth was uncovered - no admission process was initiated and the emails they had received were forged."The complainant's husband had received several emails purportedly from the college, explaining delays in the admission process. However, the complainant and her husband later discovered that all these emails were fake. The accused not only cheated them financially but also caused irreparable damage to their daughter's valuable academic time," a source said.The situation worsened with the sudden death of the complainant's husband in Nov 2023. Her repeated attempts to contact the accused to recover the money didn't see any success. She eventually approached police after learning that the two accused from Gurgaon were allegedly planning to leave the country to avoid legal consequences. Following preliminary investigation, Kirti Nagar police registered a case of cheating on Aug 28.