New Delhi: A Delhi Technological University (DTU) graduate allegedly posed as a university employee and took prospective students and their parents around the campus to build trust while his associates promised admissions to reputed colleges and collected money, police said.Three men have been arrested for allegedly cheating a family of Rs 8.5 lakh, with investigators suspecting the network operated across multiple states.According to police, the accused targeted families seeking admission to reputed institutions through advertisements on Facebook and other social media platforms. They allegedly met prospective students and their parents at upscale cafes and claimed they could secure admissions to colleges such as DTU.The alleged mastermind, Yashraj Bajpai, a former Electronics and Communication Engineering student of DTU, is accused of posing as a university staff member to convince families he had the necessary influence to facilitate admissions.“First, they would post advertisements on Facebook and other platforms for admissions to good colleges. People would get in touch with them, after which they would meet at good cafes and promise admission to institutions such as DTU. Bajpai, who was himself a DTU student, would meet them at the campus and tell them that he worked there. He would sometimes give them a tour of the university, which helped build the parents’ confidence,” a police officer said.Police alleged that after collecting money, the accused arranged management-quota admissions in private colleges using the students’ details. When students failed to secure admission to their preferred institutions, families were allegedly told that an alternative seat had already been arranged in a private college.“The students would feel that otherwise they would lose an entire year, so they would agree to take admission in the private college. The accused would then get commissions from the management-quota admissions,” the officer said.The case came to light after Dr Kritika Joshi approached Shahbad Dairy police station, alleging that the accused had cheated her of Rs 8.5 lakh by promising admission for her daughter to DTU.Additional DCP Lokeshwaran R said Bajpai allegedly disclosed the involvement of associates Sonu alias Yuvraj and Devender Singh during interrogation. Both were arrested from Bhopal on Oct 26.Police said complaints linked to the accused have surfaced in Bihar, Lucknow and Mumbai, where an FIR has also been registered. The investigation is underway to identify other members of the network and trace its financial transactions.
