A group of 45 students have accused a private training institute of attempting to defraud them of money they were to receive as beneficiaries of the Standard Training Assessment and Reward (STAR) scheme — a government-run education programme.

The students were supposed to receive Rs 10,000 from the government for having successfully completed a training course from a government-approved institute, but found to their dismay, that the institute had suddenly laid claim to a lion’s share of the amount Rs 8,000.