A shocking case of fraud has come to light in Sion, where a gang of four allegedly duped a senior doctor of around ₹70 lakh by promising admission to Lokmanya Tilak Medical College under the management quota.
According to police, the accused include two doctors. They have been identified as Luv Avadhkishore Gupta, Dr. Rakesh Ramnarayan Verma, Dr. Akhileshkumar Rammoorthy Pal, and Kush Gupta. An FIR has been registered against them at Sion Police Station under charges of cheating and misappropriation. Police said all four will soon be summoned for questioning and arrests are likely.
The complainant, a 61-year-old doctor, lives in Sion with his wife and daughter. Both he and his wife are practising doctors and run a private clinic in Dharavi. Their daughter, after failing to qualify through NEET five years ago, was exploring possibilities of admission under the management quota.
The family had inquired at various medical colleges including Lokmanya Tilak Medical College, JJ Hospital, DY Patil, and Vedanta Hospital in Palghar. However, no admission was secured. It was during this time that the complainant came in contact with Dr. Rakesh Verma at Sion Medical College, who assured him that he could secure admission for his daughter under the management quota.
Subsequently, in a meeting at a hotel in Sion, Dr. Akhilesh Pal demanded ₹1 crore for the admission. When the complainant expressed inability to pay such a large amount, he was introduced to Luv Gupta, after which the deal was settled at ₹70 lakh.
Between September 2020 and February 2021, the complainant paid the amount in instalments at an office in Belapur, following instructions from the accused. A few days later, he even received a fake email confirming his daughter’s admission.
The accused provided a forged admission letter in March 2021, after which the complainant’s daughter began attending supposed “online lectures.” Initially convinced, 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.”
When doubts arose, the complainant approached Dr. Mohan Joshi, Dean of Lokmanya Tilak Medical College, who confirmed that no such admission had taken place and the admission letter was fake.
Upon realising the fraud, the complainant demanded his money back, but the accused ignored his repeated requests. Finally, he lodged a complaint with Sion Police, leading to registration of an FIR.
Police are now investigating whether the gang has duped other families in a similar manner. Interrogations of the four accused are expected soon, following which arrests will be made.