5-year-old's parents in Kolkata lose 12.5L in school admission scam
Kolkata: The parents of a five-year-old child from the Port area in Kolkata lost Rs 12.5 lakh as they fell victim to a primary school admission scam. The fraudsters had promised them of facilitating their child's admission to a prestigious ICSE school in Park Street.
The couple allegedly paid the amount to three individuals, who posed as education consultants, between Nov 2023 and Sept 2024. The fraudsters had produced forged documents before the parents.
The parents lodged an FIR at Ekbalpore Police Station. "A key concern for us is to ascertain if it was a one-off act of cheating or a more organised racket involving other victims," said an investigating officer. Multiple sections pertaining to cheating, fraud, and criminal conspiracy were included in the FIR.
"When our son turned four, we were desperately searching for a better school under the ICSE board for providing him the best education.
We came in touch with one of the accused in Nov 2023. She introduced herself as an agent, who deals in the admission of students into the schools and colleges of their choice all over India and abroad on a commission basis," the child's mother wrote in her complaint.
The family made the first payment of Rs 2.3 lakh in Nov 2023 through a combination of cheques and UPI transfers.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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Between Dec 2023 and Sep 2024, the family had made over 35 payments ranging from Rs 1,850 to Rs 1.5 lakh through various modes.
The fraud came to light when the parents, growing suspicious after months of delays, directly approached the school's admission department. They discovered that no admission application was ever submitted in their child's name. When confronted, the accused initially denied receiving any payments but later acknowledged their actions when the family presented evidence of online transactions. The accused issued two post-dated cheques worth Rs 7 lakh, which subsequently bounced.
Cops have launched a manhunt for the accused, whose phones are switched off.
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