HYDERABAD: Cybercrime sleuths apprehended one person belonging to a gang that allegedly duped students on the pretext of providing seats in reputed medical colleges. Briefing mediapersons about the arrest, Gajarao Bhupal, Joint Commissioner of Police, CCS said that there are seven members in the gang.“The gang set up offices in Kolkata, Pune and Bengaluru and procured numbers of those students who are appearing for NEET and contacted these students and their parents. The arrested person is Ashok Shah, a native of Bihar and he worked in their Bengaluru branch. The key accused along with five others are on the run.”
“The gang duped the victim, who is from Hyderabad, of Rs 10,16,000 after promising to get her a seat in Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences. The victim made the payment after visiting their consultancy in Koramangala, Bengaluru,” the officer said.It is revealed that the victim’s father was not aware of this and blindly sent the amount at the insistence of his wife and daughter. Revealing the modus operandi of the gang, the officer said that the members of the gang toured the institutions during the time of the admission and met the students and their parents and collected their phone numbers.
To make parents believe that they are in touch with the college management, they created situations to talk to the Principal or head of the institution.“Upon receiving complaint from the victim, cybercrime sleuths along with the Detective Department officials apprehended the accused in Nepal,” he added.A senior police officer told TNIE that Ashok has revealed to the probe team that one Ajith Singh heads the gang. He also told officials that he escaped to Nepal as per the directions of Ajith Singh and also that the duped money is with him.
Gang met students
Revealing the modus operandi of the gang, the officer said that the gang toured the institutions and met the students and their parents and collected their phone numbers