CHENNAI: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Greater Chennai Police (GCP) has registered a case against private coaching institute FIIT-JEE Chennai head Ankur Jain and other directors following serious allegations of fraud.
After FIIT-JEE’s Kilpauk centre abruptly closed down, over 100 parents accused the institute of having taken them for a ride, the police said. The parents claimed they were cheated of nearly Rs 4 crore by FIIT-JEE after it collected Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per student for coaching programmes targeting competitive exams like JEE and NEET, the police said.
Parents alleged that the institute failed to deliver promised academic services, and refund requests were repeatedly ignored, the police said.
FIITJEE, a Delhi-based coaching institute, operates across the country through tie-ups with private schools. The police said the sudden closure of the Kilpauk centre is blamed on the freezing of bank accounts at FIIT-JEE’s Delhi headquarters that prevented the institute from paying salaries to its teaching staff, thus crippling its operations.
One of the complainants, Aravind, said he paid Rs 1.74 lakh for his daughter’s enrolment, only to find the institute’s services abruptly withdrawn. Similar closures have been reported in other states, causing disruption nationwide, police said.
A case under relevant sections of the BNS was registered on April 22 and the officers are probing possible collusion with private schools, police added.
The CCB has confirmed that six FIIT-JEE centres in Tamil Nadu, including in Chennai and Coimbatore, continue to operate. The members of the staff at these centres claim that classes are running smoothly and that the Kilpauk case appears to be an isolated one. The investigation is under way.
It may be noted that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also investigating a Rs 250-crore scam allegedly involving over 15,000 students. Raids on FIITJEE’s Delhi and Noida offices had reportedly led to seizure of Rs 10 lakh in cash and gold worth Rs 5 crore.
Two Pink autos driven by men seized, 5 drivers fined
Chennai: A few days after TNIE published a report highlighting that several Pink autorickshaws were being driven by men instead of women, the social welfare and women empowerment department took action on Friday and seized two such autos operated by male drivers. Additionally, the traffic police imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on five male drivers, Rs 1,000 each, for permit violations.
The Pink Auto scheme, launched on March 8 this year, was introduced to promote women’s entrepreneurship and improve the safety of female passengers. As part of the initiative, a subsidy of Rs 1 lakh was offered for the purchase of CNG or hybrid autorickshaws, with permits granted only on the condition that the vehicles be owned and operated exclusively by women.