The Yerawada police have taken custody of a Telangana-based man accused of cheating students and parents by promising admissions to MBBS courses in reputed medical colleges and collecting lakhs of rupees under the guise of counselling and admission assistance. The accused was brought to Pune from Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail on June 8 for further investigation, police sources informed on Friday.
The accused, identified as Adityakumar alias Arvind Prakashkumar Aarogonda (47), a resident of Secunderabad, Telangana, is wanted in connection with a cheating case registered at Yerawada police station on March 18. The case was filed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) after a complainant alleged that the accused had duped him of ₹8.12 lakh by assuring admission to an MBBS course.
Police said Aarogonda is allegedly involved in similar frauds in Hyderabad and Mumbai and has been named in six criminal cases. He was lodged in Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail in connection with a case registered at Powai police station when the Yerawada police secured his custody on a court warrant for further investigation.
According to investigators, Aarogonda and his associates operated a Hyderabad-based firm, Eduvio Learning Solutions Pvt Ltd, with branches in Pune, Mumbai and other cities. Through WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, they allegedly advertised guaranteed MBBS admissions in reputed medical colleges.
Students and parents who responded to the advertisements were promised admission to government and private medical colleges. The accused allegedly charged around ₹5 lakh for admissions to government colleges and ₹2-3 lakh as counselling fees for private institutions, assuring refunds if admissions were not secured.
Senior Inspector Anjum Bagwan of Yerawada police station said, “The accused and two others were operating from their firm. In the last month, he was arrested by the Telangana police and later by the Mumbai police. After completing legal formalities, we have taken over his custody for further investigation.”
Bagwan added, “In March, two complainants approached us, following which we initiated a detailed investigation. The search for the two other accused is ongoing.”
Police said the firm used software applications named “Rank Predictor” and “College Predictor” to convince students that admissions to specific medical colleges were virtually guaranteed based on their category and examination scores. Aarogonda allegedly projected himself as a trainer and mentor, while his associates posed as senior counsellors.
Investigators suspect nearly 40 students were lured by the promise of admission. After collecting money, the accused allegedly issued forged admission letters and certificates claiming seats had been secured in medical colleges.
Students were then told to report to the colleges, where they discovered the documents were fake and no admissions had been granted.
