New Delhi, July 2 (PTI) The Delhi Police have taken a 63-year-old man, claiming to be an "engineer," into custody for allegedly defrauding individuals with false promises of medical college admissions advertised through newspapers, an officer revealed on Wednesday.
In the early 2000s, Rajesh Rajput, who holds a diploma in civil engineering, became acquainted with a group of fraudsters and began operating a sham consultancy firm named Helpline Consultants Private Ltd, according to the police.
The scheme involved placing advertisements in national newspapers, offering to secure admissions in medical and engineering colleges, for which they charged significant amounts of money, said the officer.
Rajput was declared a proclaimed offender in 2006 as he did not appear in court after being granted bail for a 2004 cheating and criminal conspiracy case, stated Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Harsh Indora.
According to the DCP, Rajput was part of a group that operated under the guise of an NGO, targeting unsuspecting parents seeking admissions for their children.
“Rajput and his associates defrauded a doctor from Odisha, taking Rs 4 lakh for supposedly securing an MBBS seat for his son under the management quota,” he added.
A case of fraud was filed at Shalimar Bagh Police Station under IPC sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), and 120B (criminal conspiracy), which was later handed over to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) for investigation.
Following his arrest, Rajput failed to attend court hearings, leading to him being declared a proclaimed offender in February 2006.
After a prolonged search, the police tracked him to Saharanpur, conducting an early morning raid on July 1 at his residence, with local resistance being a hindrance.
Initially denying his identity, Rajput eventually confessed during thorough questioning at the Crime Branch office in Delhi, the DCP noted.
His identity was verified using records from Shalimar Bagh Police Station and EOW, and he was formally arrested under Section 35(1)(d) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The gang reportedly defrauded numerous individuals through this method. Efforts are ongoing to identify additional victims and locate other gang members, Indora stated.
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