Ahmedabad: A 28-year-old woman from Naroda has filed an FIR alleging that she and her doctor husband were cheated out of Rs 6.5 lakh by unidentified individuals who promised to secure her admission into a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) programme through a fake education consultancy firm.According to the FIR filed on Sunday at Naroda police station, the woman, who hold a degree of Masters in Physiotherapy (neurology), came across an Instagram account named ‘Medical Study Bureau’ in Oct 2023. Interested in pursuing a BAMS course, she messaged the handle and was directed to two individuals who identified themselves as Neelam and Manish.The duo, posing as representatives of an educational consultancy firm, allegedly guaranteed her admission at a subsidised rate, and shared fee structures and bank account details via WhatsApp. Believing the offer to be genuine, the woman and her husband, a practicing physician, transferred Rs 6.5 lakh in six instalments between Nov 2023 and Jan 2024, using funds from various family members’ accounts.However, once the money was transferred, the accused reportedly stopped responding to calls and messages. With no admission confirmation or refund, the couple eventually realised they had been duped and approached the police.An FIR was lodged under Sections 66C (identity theft), 66D (cheating by impersonation), and 84B (abetment) of the Information Technology Act, 2007, along with relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
