In a sensational case of fraud, an NRI businessman has allegedly been cheated of over ₹90 lakh on the pretext of investing in an overseas education consultancy. The Andheri Police Station has registered a case against a couple and their associate for allegedly running a fraudulent education consultancy and has initiated a detailed investigation.
The accused have been identified as Muthupandi Nadar and Priyanka Nadar.
According to police sources, the complainant, Kedar Soman (50), originally a resident of Borivali in Mumbai, has been living in the United States since 1999. He is an Indian-origin American citizen engaged in providing education and startup guidance services. He frequently travels to India for professional work.
As per the complaint, in 2024, Soman invested approximately ₹30 lakh in a company that claimed to guide students seeking higher education abroad. The accused allegedly promised a 100 percent return on investment and showed a flat as collateral security. Later, they proposed launching a new company and lured him into investing again with promises of substantial profits. During this phase, the complainant transferred ₹32.76 lakh along with additional amounts in installments.
Between March 2024 and now, a total of ₹90,12,347 was allegedly siphoned off. However, neither was any return paid nor was any genuine business activity initiated.
The investigation has also revealed that students aspiring to study abroad were similarly duped. In one instance, a female student alleged that she was defrauded of ₹8 lakh on the pretext of securing admission to Rennes School of Business in France. She claimed that her admission letter was tampered with and that inflated fees were collected using forged documents.
The complainant further alleged that the main accused had previously been arrested in a cheating case. Despite extending legal assistance on humanitarian grounds to help secure his release from jail, the accused allegedly betrayed his trust again.
Police officials stated that a probe is underway. Authorities are examining relevant documents, bank transactions, and recording statements of affected students as part of the ongoing investigation.