A doctor from Shahibaug, Ahmedabad, has reported a staggering fraud involving ₹15.5 lakh aimed at securing his daughter’s admission to the prestigious Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) in Hyderabad.
Dr. Gopal Omprakash Bhatia approached the Madhavpura police on October 7 after he fell victim to a scam linked to his daughter Mitra’s BITSAT exam results.
The fraudulent scheme allegedly began on January 9 when Dr. Bhatia received an unsolicited WhatsApp call from two individuals claiming to be representatives of BITS. They offered admission for ₹19 lakh, but Bhatia initially declined.
However, persistent communications followed, leading him to make a token payment of ₹50,000. He transferred this amount after receiving bank details over WhatsApp for an account supposedly belonging to Vishal Kumar.
On June 30, following further demands from the scammers, Dr. Bhatia sent a post-dated cheque for ₹16 lakh via courier. The supposed admission process took a strange turn when he was asked by a woman named Vedika about arranging another payment while they prepared to travel to Hyderabad.
The family arrived in Hyderabad on July 12 and met an individual named Vivaan at a hotel lobby who claimed he was affiliated with the admissions committee. He demanded an additional ₹15 lakh for college management.
Bhatia protested but ultimately complied by using an Angadia firm to transfer the money back home. After several evasive responses regarding their daughter’s admission status, the family’s attempts at communication ceased when their calls went unanswered—after threats of police involvement were made.
The fraud’s impact became clear when a demand draft intended for the college was returned later that summer, confirming no admission had been secured.
Madhavpura Police Investigation
Madhavpura police have launched an investigation into this case of deceit and are looking into all involved parties’ actions and communications. They plan on verifying financial transactions and examining related bank accounts connected with the alleged fraud.