Powai police have arrested 10 engineers for allegedly running a nationwide education admission scam that targeted parents seeking engineering seats for their children. The accused allegedly promised management-quota admissions at reputed colleges and universities in cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Noida and Pune.
Police said the racket had cheated at least 35 people of nearly INR 50 lakh. Investigators identified 35-year-old civil engineer Sonu Kumar as the alleged mastermind.
According to police, the accused operated the racket from Pune since 2024. They allegedly returned to Pune from their hometowns in Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh every April, coinciding with the engineering admission season, and continued the operation for about four months.
The group reportedly used Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms to advertise engineering admissions under the management quota. Parents who clicked on the advertisements were directed to online forms where they were asked to provide their names and contact details.
The accused would then allegedly contact prospective victims and offer to arrange admissions in exchange for large payments.
One of the cases involved a couple from Powai who were allegedly promised admission for their son at the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H).
Police said two members of the group met the couple on the college campus, allegedly to make the admission offer appear legitimate. The family subsequently paid Rs 16.5 lakh.
The couple later received an email claiming to confirm their son's admission and directing him to attend classes from August 1. However, they became suspicious after noticing that the email was sent from a domain that did not match the institute's official domain.
The matter was eventually reported to the police. Investigators recovered the entire Rs 16.5 lakh paid by the couple.
The racket came under the scanner after a police team allegedly posed as parents looking for an engineering admission. The undercover operation helped investigators identify and apprehend members of the group.
Police said Kumar and two other accused had studied engineering together before allegedly recruiting people from their hometowns to join the operation.
Investigators have also found that members of the group are allegedly linked to at least five cases registered in different parts of the country.
To allegedly avoid detection, each member of the group used two mobile phones, according to investigators. Police seized 22 mobile phones, 23 SIM cards, a laptop, seven debit cards and a tablet during the investigation.
Authorities also froze approximately Rs 24 lakh in bank accounts allegedly linked to the accused.
Three high-end cars allegedly owned by Kumar were also seized. Police said the vehicles had been registered in the names of his friends.
Powai police are continuing to investigate the alleged admission scam and trace the money involved in the transactions. Investigators are also looking for two additional suspects believed to be connected to the racket.
Police are examining the group's digital and financial records to determine whether more parents were defrauded and to identify other possible victims.
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