Doctor duped of ₹31 lakh with lure of MS admission

Doctor duped of ₹31 lakh with lure of MS admission

Has Accused Deputy Dean Of A College In Mumbai

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:27.02.2021 

A doctor from Gota on Thursday filed a police complaint alleging that a former deputy dean of a Mumbai municipal medical college cheated him of Rs 31.50 lakh with the MS admission lure. The doctor said the accused, aided by two accomplices, promised him a place in the Master of Surgery (MS) course in September 2020. The complaint was filed with Sola police.

According to the complainant, Dr Hitendra Desai, a resident of Shukan Residency in Gota, the accused were Dr Rakesh Verma, the then deputy dean of Lokmanya Tilak Medical College in Sion in Mumbai, and his aides Jay Govani and Salim Patel. Dr Desai works with GMERS hospital in Vadnagar.

Dr Desai said that he had secured 411 marks in NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) and could not get admission in any college in Gujarat. He said that he got a call from Govani on September 7 asking him if he wanted admission.

“Govani told me that I would have to pay for a place at Lokmanya Tilak Medical College,” said Dr Desai. “He told me that he knew the dean of the college.” Dr Desai and his father then went to Mumbai to meet Govani. The complainant said that Govani and Patel took him to meet Verma who assured him that he would get the admission by October 5.

After meeting Verma, Desai first paid Rs 2 lakh in cash and later paid Rs 29.50 lakh through electronic transfers between September 11, 2020, and September 21, 2020. Dr Desai also submitted his original certificates to Govani.

But Govani and Patel never contacted Dr Desai again. Dr Desai tried to meet Verma, but he could not be found. Dr Desai and his father eventually traced Verma to Topiwala Medical College in Mumbai. Now, Verma told Dr Desai that he would get the admission by October 12, 2020.

However, all three accused soon vanished. After a few days, Dr Desai got his original certificates through courier. He finally approached police and filed a complaint of cheating and breach of trust against the three persons.