Amid the ongoing National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) controversy, Market police of Belagavi arrested an accused who allegedly cheated students by assuring admissions to top MBBS colleges. With regards to the same, the accused has collected a total of Rs 1.08 crore from the students who scored less in the exam and absconded later. 

According to a report by The New Indian Express, the police have recovered cash of Rs 12 lakh, 15 computers, one laptop and five mobile phones from the accused who was arrested in Mumbai. The accused identified as Aragonda Arvind alias Arun Kumar, a native of Telangana is now remanded to judicial custody in Belagavi.  

Speaking about this on July 15, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rohan Jagdish said, "The Market Police team has done exceptional work by using technical intelligence and technical data to analyse the movements of the accused and through his driver's mobile number we could trace him." Further, he recalled that a cheating case was filed against Arun Kumar at Market Police Station in November 2023.

Investigation reveals...

The investigation revealed that Arun Kumar was targeting students who scored less marks in the NEET exam and he made them and their parents believe that he would provide admission to them in good MBBS colleges. For the same, he took money from them. In Belagavi city alone, he took about a total of Rs 1.08 crore from those students. 

"Our team has taken a lot of effort in tracing the accused. This man is educated and has done his MBA. After passing with distinction, he has chosen to do this crime," said the officer. Rohan said that Arun Kumar has committed such crimes in several other places and cases have been registered against him in those respective local police stations. 

Disclosing more details, he said that seven cases have been registered against the accused in Panjagutta Police Station in Hyderabad, four cases have been registered in Jubilee Hills Police Station of Hyderabad, one case in Ashok Nagar Police Station in Bengaluru, one case in Bhopal (MP) Crime Branch and one case in RT Nagar Police Station in Bengaluru.

Rohan said that Arun Kumar had been to Mumbai and was about to commence a new NEET career guidance centre there to victimise more people. But before he could commence, Belagavi police nabbed him, he concluded, TNIE reported.