Catering businessman duped of Rs 3 lakh in admission fraud

Pune: A 51-year-old catering businessman registered a complaint with the Kondhwa police on Monday, stating that a fraudster duped him of Rs 2.80 lakh on the pretext of securing admission for his son in an engineering course at a city-based college since Aug 10, 2024.Assistant inspector Rakesh Jadhav said on Tuesday that the businessman from Kondhwa Budruk came across a cellphone number of the fraudster posing as an agent on a social media site. The fraudster claimed he was helping parents and students secure admission in engineering colleges.Jadhav said the businessman contacted the fraudster over the phone and met him numerous times. During these meetings, the fraudster boasted of having good contacts with college officials and assured the businessman that he could help his son gain admission in a college of their choice.The police officer said the fraudster lured the businessman into paying a donation of Rs 2.8 lakh for securing admission. The victim, without verifying the fraudster's credentials, paid the donation in cash and online. The fraudster later issued a letter to the victim stating that his son had received provisional admission in an engineering college.The victim realised he was tricked after the college officials informed him that the letter was fake. After the fraudster failed to repay the money, the caterer initially filed a complaint application. Following verification, an FIR was registered. The police officer added that a police team was working on some clues to trace the fraudster as early as possible.