Kolkata: A 65-year-old retired official from the West Bengal State Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (WBSETCL) was allegedly duped of Rs 25.5 lakh by an educational consultancy in south Kolkata on the pretext of securing an MBBS seat for his daughter under the management quota.The Sodepur resident lodged a police complaint on July 31, leading to a probe into charges of cheating, fraud and breach of trust. According to the complaint, the retired divisional engineer (civil) came across a prominent newspaper ad in mid-2022, offering specialised counselling and guaranteed admissions to private medical colleges for NEET-qualified candidates at low costs. The victim visited the consultancy’s office at Jodhpur Garden under the Lake PS in June 2022, hoping to secure an MBBS seat for his daughter. The firm’s key operative assured him of his daughter’s admission provided she cleared NEET and demanded Rs 35.5 lakh for the service. He paid the entire amount in multiple installments through RTGS transfers, digital modes and cash transactions, against which money receipts were issued.The agreement stated if the firm failed to secure the admission, the full amount would be refunded with interest. But the consultancy failed to secure a medical seat for the girl in both 2022 and 2023 sessions. When asked, the agency returned only Rs 10 lakh but subsequently, the man found the office shut and the representatives stopped taking his calls.His daughter managed to get an admission to a private medical college in Haldia on her own in 2024.
