23 February,2026 04:24 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
Police have started an investigation into the matter, said an official. Representational Pic/File/iStock
A 43-year-old man has been booked in Maharashtra's Thane for allegedly cheating a medical store owner of Rs 35.42 lakh by promising to secure his son admission in a medical college under a so-called "VIP quota", police said on Monday, reported the PTI.
According to the officials, an FIR was registered on February 22 against Balkum resident Prashant Mahajan. The case has been filed under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Narpoli Police Station in Thane.
Sub-inspector Santosh Shinde said that the accused and the complainant knew each other.
Mahajan allegedly assured the victim that he could arrange admission for his son to a medical college through a VIP quota.
Trusting him, the medical store owner paid Rs 35.42 lakh in several instalments. However, the promised admission did not materialise.
After waiting for some time and realising that no seat had been secured, the victim approached the police and lodged a complaint.
Police have started an investigation into the matter, said an official.
The accused has not yet been arrested, and further enquiries are ongoing, officials said, according to the PTI.
Meanwhile, in an another incident, a 46-year-old mechanical engineer in Maharashtra's Thane city has allegedly been duped of Rs 3.15 crore after being lured to invest in a fraudulent online trading platform, police said on Sunday, as per the PTI.
The complainant, a resident of the Kasarvadavali area, alleged that a person had contacted him and promised high returns through investments on a website.
Believing the representation to be true, the complainant invested Rs 3,15,67,954 between December 12, 2025 and February 11 this year, cyber police station sub-inspector Lahu Rathod said.
"The complainant stated that he was initially shown a profit of USD 5 lakh on the platform, which built his confidence. However, when he attempted to withdraw or secure his invested amount, his account was blocked and he realised that he had been cheated," the official said, the news agency reported.
Based on his complaint, the police registered a case on Friday against three individuals under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 318(4) (cheating) and 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), and sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act for cheating, impersonation and online fraud, he said, as per the PTI.
A probe was underway into the case.
(with PTI inputs)
