Maharashtra: MBBS aspirant’s father cheated of Rs 33 lakh

AURANGABAD: Badrinath UdaySingh Rathore (50), a farmer by occupation was duped by a gang of three of Rs 33 lakh, on the promise of a medical seat for his son either in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh or Mayani, in Satara district. The crime branch of the city police have made two arrests from Bombay and Satara and are presently on the look out for a third suspect from Mumbai.

The threesome who allegedly took the cash from Rathod, staying in the Hudco area of the city, went a step ahead in the fraud by producing forged documents to convince the farmer that his son had been given admission, the police said.

Madhukar Sawant, a police inspector, with the crime branch revealed that Rathod was first approached by Vijay Shriram Nalawade (45), a resident of Pune, in April 2016. "Nalawade posed as an agent for a medical colleges and offered an MBBS seat for his son either in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh or Mayani in Satara district," he said.

The police officer said that Rathod having got convinced by Nalwade’s put on act paid him Rs 21 lakh for a seat in the Chhattisgarh college through DD,cash, and RTGS. The accused to make the act more convincing, further provided him with a fake registration slip to convince the old man of his son’s promised admission in Chattisgarh College.

"However, Nalawade again contacted Rathod saying that the Chhattisgarh college was shut down for some reasons and that his son could be given admission in a college at Mayani," he said.

Disappointed when farmer Rathod asked Nalawade to return his money, the cheat gave him a cheque worth Rs. 10 lakh, which bounced at the bank counter five times. The accused in order to waive off suspicion, convinced the farmer to get in touch with Prashant Ranade(40), who he said would help the farmer’s son get admission at the Mayani college.

This time this gang of three managed to extract another Rs 12 lakh from Rathore. Suspecting foul play, when his son did not get admission in Mayani either, Rathore again requested that his money be returned. The trio knowing more extraction was not possible stopped attending his calls, said Sawant.

Rathod who by now was convinced of having been cheated, lodged a complaint with the crime branch, which went ahead and arrested Nalawade from Pune and Deshmukh from Mayani on Wednesday. An Aurangabad police team has now gone to Mumbai on a look out for Ranade, reports TOI.