Amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding alleged irregularities in NEET for MBBS admissions, a startling case of medical education fraud has emerged from Mehsana in north Gujarat. A homeopath paid Rs 16.32 lakh for admission to an MBBS course from a university in Uttar Pradesh. Shockingly, he received his degree and certificates within a month of making the full payment, without attending any classes or exams.
The individual realized the degree was forged and approached the police in 2019. However, the FIR was only registered on June 14, nearly five years after the incident.
The sequence of events began in July 2018 when Suresh Patel (41) explored options for higher education in medicine online. He came across a website offering an MBBS degree through the All India Alternative Medical Council and contacted Dr Prem Kumar Rajput, the contact person listed.
“Rajput assured me of obtaining an MBBS degree based on my class 12 marks. Initially skeptical, I was assured everything was legal,” Patel shared with TOI.
Rajput promised Patel internships, exams, and a degree within five years. Patel paid Rs 50,000 and received an admission letter from Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, as instructed by Rajput.
“I was in touch with Rajput about 25 times. He introduced me to Dr Sauket Khan, Dr Anand Kumar, and Arun Kumar, who were supposed to assist me in completing the MBBS course. Following his instructions, I paid Rs 16.32 lakh between July 10, 2018, and Feb 23, 2019, anticipating the start of classes,” Patel recounted.
However, classes never commenced. “In March 2019, I received a courier package containing MBBS marksheets, a degree certificate, internship training certificates, and a registration certificate, all supposedly from the Medical Council of India (MCI),” Patel explained.
Patel approached the MCI and discovered the fraud. He filed a complaint with the police, which eventually led to the Ahmedabad crime branch taking over the investigation in 2019.
“In 2019, I accompanied a Mehsana police team to Delhi to trace Dr Anand Kumar, the alleged mastermind behind the operation, but found no one at the given address. We later visited a private bank branch in Delhi and found evidence suggesting several others had also fallen victim to the scam,” Patel added.
Despite efforts, the investigation hit a dead end, and the accused remained untraceable. Patel continued to gather evidence and filed a complaint with the Mehsana SP’s office in December 2023.