Cheating Students for Admission: Pune Police Nab Two in ‘My College Khoj’ Scam
Viman Nagar, 5th February 2024: A case involving the cheating of students out of lakhs of rupees under the guise of facilitating admission and visas to foreign educational institutions has surfaced in Pune. The incident has led to the registration of a case against four individuals associated with the ‘My College Khoj’ organization in the Viman Nagar area, with two of them already arrested.
The accused include Amit Kumar (38 years old, resident of Magarpatta City), Pratibha Bhati (34 years old, resident of Magarpatta City), Saurabh Manoj Jha (26 years old, resident of Kharadi), and Poonam Chandan Singh Rajput (25 years old, resident of Ramwadi). While Jha and Rajput have been taken into custody, the remaining two accused are currently on the run.
The complaint was filed by a young woman from Ambernath in the Thane district at Vimantal Police Station. According to the police, the woman intended to pursue higher studies in Italy and registered with the ‘My College Khoj’ office located in Phoenix East Court, Viman Nagar. Subsequently, the accused extracted Rs. 2,06,000 from her, promising admission and a visa to an educational institution in Italy.
To further the deception, the girl was instructed to submit documents, including forged bank statements, to a government office. When she failed to secure admission, she sought clarification from the institute’s director, who provided evasive responses.
During the investigation, it was revealed that several other students had fallen victim to the scam. The police initiated a case based on the girl’s complaint.
