The Charkop Police have arrested a wanted woman accused of cheating students and parents by promising assistance for higher education abroad and then shutting down the company’s office in Kandivali before fleeing. The accused has been identified as Shraddha Vitthal Gadekar, who is currently in police custody in connection with the fraud case.
Police said the company owners and directors, Stella Rakesh Mehta and her husband Rakesh Mehta, have also been named as co-accused. Similar cheating cases have reportedly been registered against the couple in Mumbai and Thane.
According to police, the 52-year-old complainant is a doctor residing in Kandivali with his family. He wanted to secure admission for his daughter and her friend in the Master of Trade and Logistics course at Wittenborg University in the Netherlands. While searching online for overseas education consultants, he came across a company named Career and Option, owned by Stella Mehta, with an office at Sai Prem Society in Charkop, Kandivali.
In October 2023, the complainant’s daughter and her friend visited the office, where they met Stella Mehta, Rakesh Mehta and Shraddha Gadekar. The trio allegedly claimed they helped students obtain admissions abroad and won their trust.
They reportedly informed the family that each student would need to pay 26,470 Euros (around Rs 26 lakh) for the admission process and related expenses. In November 2023, the complainant and his wife visited the office, where the accused allegedly explained the admission process and stated that all fees had to be deposited into the company’s account, after which the amount would be transferred to the educational institution in the Netherlands.
As the fee amount was high, the complainant sought help in securing an education loan. The accused allegedly claimed their company had a tie-up with a bank and assured loan assistance. Following their instructions, the complainant met another individual who later arranged an education loan of Rs 33 lakh.
After the loan was sanctioned, the complainant transferred Rs 10 lakh on August 1, 2024, and Rs 10,34,290 on August 2, 2024, into the company’s bank account as instructed by Stella Mehta.
However, despite receiving the payment, the accused allegedly failed to send the student abroad for studies.
A few days later, the complainant’s daughter reportedly received a call from Wittenborg University stating that her fees had not been deposited. When the family confronted the accused at the Kandivali office, they allegedly claimed that discussions were underway with another institution and that the fees had been paid there.
Soon after, the trio allegedly shut down the office and absconded.
During investigation, police found that the accused had allegedly cheated several students by taking lakhs of rupees under the false promise of sending them abroad for education.
Based on the complaint, Charkop Police registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against Stella Mehta, Rakesh Mehta and Shraddha Gadekar.
Shraddha Gadekar, who had been absconding for the last five months, was arrested recently and produced before a court. Police are now investigating how many students may have been duped by the gang so far.