Raipur
The Smritinagar police under the Supela station limits have booked three operators of a local educational consultancy for allegedly defrauding a resident of ₹19 lakh after promising him admission to an MBA programme abroad along with job placement, officials said on Wednesday.
Two of the accused, Gagan Gupta and Jaswinder Singh Digwa, have been taken into custody for questioning, while legal proceedings are underway against co-accused Swati Agrawal Gupta.
According to the complaint filed on 15 September by Sumit Armarkar, a resident of Sector 01, Bhilainagar, the operators of Top Career Consultancy in Smritinagar lured him with assurances of securing admission to MBA courses at universities in the UK, the US, Australia, and Canada, followed by employment.
The complainant transferred a total of ₹19 lakh to the bank accounts specified by the suspects through various instalments and cheques. Following the payments, the consultancy operators repeatedly delayed the process. They later sought additional funds by promising a Canadian visitor visa and citizenship.
Armarkar was subsequently sent to Kyrgyzstan, where no employment was arranged. Upon returning to India, he requested a refund, after which the accused issued three cheques totalling ₹2 lakh, all of which bounced upon presentation at the bank.
Based on the report, the Smritinagar police registered a case under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
During interrogation, Gupta and Digwa admitted to their involvement in the crime. As the suspects have no prior criminal record, police are proceeding under Section 35(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The Durg police have advised citizens to verify the legitimacy, accreditation, and documentation of consultancies offering overseas education, job placements, or visa services before making payments, and to report any suspicious activity immediately.
