Dreams sold, money siphoned: Consultancy cheats parents of lakhs in admission scam

Jubilee hills: A consultancy exploiting parents’ dreams for their children’s admission to reputed engineering colleges has been booked by Hyderabad police.

Going further into case details, a parent approached Checkmate Consultancy hoping to get his daughter admission to a reputed city engineering college. The consultancy demanded an initial down payment of Rs 3 lakh for the seat, which the complainant paid. A week later, he was informed that full payment was required. Subsequently, through a combination of cash payments and digital transactions, he paid a total of twelve lakhs. Despite repeated inquiries about the seat confirmation, the consultancy delayed the process.

To his utter shock, when the government announced details of the Management Quota in August 2024 and assured him they’d secure the seat. However, no confirmation was provided. In September 2024, he visited the college for seat confirmation. He waited for hours but the consultancy informed him that the seat price had increased, and they demanded an additional payment.The complainant agreed to the additional cost, but the seat was still not confirmed. Upon following up, the consultancy assured him the seat would be confirmed by the afternoon or the full amount refunded. On that day, despite several calls, there was no response. Further, the complainant visited the college and demanded a refund.

Parents’ dreams dashed

“The consultancy transferred Rs 3.5 lakh and issued a cheque for Rs 8.5 lakh. When he deposited the cheque in September 2024, to his utter dismay, it bounced. After continuous follow-ups, in October 2024, the consultancy issued another cheque for Rs 5.5 lakh, but it was also dishonored,” said the complainant.

A prima facie investigation revealed that around 29 victims were identified with the total defrauded amount of Rs 73 lakhs. It also revealed that the accused had defrauded many other victims and looted substantial sums. The number of complaints against the accused continues to increase, involving multiple accused persons and numerous victims.

Hyderabad police booked a case against Checkmate Owner Rohit and his associates and further investigation is underway.