Four people, including two doctors, have been booked for allegedly duping a physician of Rs 70 lakh by promising his daughter admission to an MBBS course at a Mumbai municipal medical college under the management quota, news agency PTI reported, citing police.

The first information report (FIR) was lodged at Sion Police Station. According to a police officer, the accused doctors, Rakesh Ramnarayan Verma and Akhileshkumar Rammoorthy Pal, work at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and General Hospital. The other two accused are Luv Avadhkishore Gupta and Kush Gupta.

“All four will soon be summoned for questioning in this pandemic-era cheating case,” the officer said.

The complainant, a 61-year-old doctor, runs a clinic in Dharavi along with his wife. Their daughter, who had failed to qualify through NEET five years ago, had been exploring possibilities for admission under the management quota, PTI reported, quoting the Sion Police Station officer.

The family had approached several medical colleges, including LTM Medical College (Sion Medical College), JJ Hospital, DY Patil, and Vedanta Hospital in Palghar, but were unable to secure admission.

“It was during this period that the complainant came in contact with Dr Verma, who assured him he could secure admission for his daughter under the management quota at LTM Medical College,” said the officer.

Subsequently, during a meeting at a hotel in Sion, Dr Pal allegedly demanded Rs 1 crore for the admission, reported PIT. When the complainant expressed his inability to pay the sum, he was introduced to Luv Gupta, and the “admission” deal was finalised at Rs 70 lakh, the officer stated.

Between September 2020 and February 2021, the complainant paid the amount in instalments at an office in Belapur, Navi Mumbai, following the instructions of the accused. A few days later, he received an email – later found to be fake – confirming his daughter’s “admission” to the prestigious college, he said.

The accused provided a forged admission letter in March 2021, after which the complainant’s daughter began attending supposed online lectures due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“She soon became suspicious when only five students appeared to be attending the classes, all conducted through audio. She had never seen any faculty member, including her alleged professor Anupam Patil,” the official said.

The case came to light when the complainant approached the dean of LTM Medical College, who confirmed that no such admission had taken place and the letter was bogus. Upon realising the fraud, the complainant demanded his money back, but the accused ignored repeated requests, the official added.

Finally, the complainant filed a complaint with the Sion police, leading to the registration of an FIR.

(With PTI inputs)

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