Two major fraudsters, who lured NEET aspirants and their parents with promises of guaranteed MBBS admissions, have been arrested by a joint team of the Cyber Crime Cell and Crime Branch in Lucknow. Operating under the name Study Pathway Consultancy, the duo is accused of duping students across several states and amassing over ₹100 crore in 14 years.
According to police, multiple cases against the accused are already registered in New Delhi, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bihar, Saharanpur, Prayagraj, and Lucknow. A total of 18 FIRs have been filed in various cyber crime and local police stations.
Who Are the Accused?
DCP Crime Kamlesh Dixit confirmed the arrest of:
- Prem Prakash Vidyarthi, a resident of Fatehpur village in Aurangabad, Bihar
- Santosh, a resident of Samastipur, Bihar
Prem Prakash, the mastermind, collected data of students with low NEET merit through online sources. He then aggressively advertised his consultancy through newspapers, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms. The duo assured parents that they could secure MBBS admissions under management quota in private colleges in Sitapur and Barabanki.
They opened current accounts in various banks using the names of reputed medical institutes and transferred all collected money into their personal accounts.
70 Franchisees Sold for Fake ‘DPS Junior School’
Police revealed that Prem Prakash also launched a fraudulent venture called DPS Junior School.
To promote it, he organized events in Patna and Varanasi with Bollywood actors Govinda and Preity Zinta as chief guests.
He sold 70 fake franchisees, charging ₹3 lakh as security from each franchise owner. Victims were further cheated through additional payments for uniforms and study material.
Fraud Started During B.Tech Studies
Prem Prakash completed his B.Tech from GLA University, Mathura. Shockingly, he began cheating parents back in 2011 during his engineering days, targeting families desperate for medical admissions.
His accomplice Santosh studied only till Class 6 and was paid just ₹30,000 per month despite the massive fraud empire.
Multiple Fake Identities to Evade Police
The DCP confirmed that Prem Prakash operated using multiple identities, including:
Abhinav Sharma, Rajeev Singh, Sanjeev Singh, and Sarvesh Shukla.
He used different IDs in different cities and often checked into hotels using Santosh’s ID to avoid being traced.
Lavish Lifestyle and Massive Properties
Police investigations revealed:
- Properties purchased across Varanasi, Delhi, Bihar, and other cities
- His Aurangabad house alone is valued at over ₹4 crore
- Frequent foreign trips including Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Russia, and Switzerland
- Jewellery worth ₹25 lakh bought in Lucknow
Prem Prakash also exploited dating apps like Tego, bribing employees to obtain phone numbers of young women. He trapped them with his luxurious lifestyle and took many to Mumbai, Goa, and other tourist destinations.
Police Crackdown Underway
Authorities confirmed that extensive investigation is in progress. Bank accounts, digital evidence, and property documents are being scrutinized. The police expect more victims to come forward as details of the scam emerge.
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