Mumbai: Don’t fall for reels advertising postgrad med course in Spain

(From left) The fraudsters Vivek Kumar, Archana Gautam, Rahul Gautam

An international scam targeting medical students has recently hit India. Scammers have lured many students with promises of guaranteed seats in Spanish medical institutes, without requiring valid documents or entrance exams. They leave no room for doubt. Their professional approach, from conducting Google meets to handling all the paperwork, has no gaps. Students realise they've been cheated only after reaching the foreign land. Many students are still stranded in Spain," said an official from the Dongri police on condition of anonymity.

The scammers allegedly run an illegal agency known as "The Internationally," which operates on Instagram without a registered office. "Several reels are posted on their page to gain the trust of victims," said a police officer. The Dongri police identified the agency's leaders as Archana Gautam, Rahul Gautam, and Vivek Kumar. While Archana Gautam has been arrested in Delhi, the other two remain at large. The police are actively investigating the matter and have booked the trio under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy and cheating.

Hospital Rey Juan Carlos, the college in Spain to which the agency claimed the doctor would receive admission

The scam came to light when a 28-year-old doctor approached the Dongri police station to file an FIR against three individuals for allegedly duping him of Rs 15 lakh. "In 2023, I came across a reel from a page known as Internationally. I got lured and contacted them," said the doctor on condition of anonymity.

The doctor recounted his experience, stating that he contacted an alleged scammer named Vivek, who assured him of admission to a radiology course in Spain without any entrance exams. "They told me there's a five-year radiology course and that I would need to learn Spanish for three months. The admission would be done without any entrance exams. They took a payment of Rs 14 lakh from me. Vivek, Archana, and others subsequently convinced me by showing forged documents and fake testimonies," he added.

The agency had claimed that he would secure admission to Hospital Rey Juan Carlos. Another victim, a 27-year-old doctor, shared a similar experience. He paid Rs 15 lakh to the agency, expecting lucrative employment opportunities in Spain. "Last year, I saw that reel from the agency and got lured by the offer. They had a systematic approach to dupe aspiring students who wanted to pursue postgraduate courses. I saw testimonies on Instagram. The people in the agency convinced me I would earn 4,000 euros. I paid Rs 15 lakh to come to Spain. I learned Spanish, and then the people from the agency started to go incommunicado. They didn't give any satisfactory answers regarding admission," the doctor said. The trio have been booked under Sections 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

They leave no room for doubt. Their professional approach, from conducting Google meets to handling all the paperwork, has no gaps. Students realize they've been cheated only after reaching the foreign land. Many students are still stranded in Spain," said an official from the Dongri police on condition of anonymity.

The scammers allegedly run an illegal agency known as "The Internationally," which operates on Instagram without a registered office. "Several reels are posted on their page to gain the trust of victims," said a police officer. The Dongri police identified the agency's leaders as Archana Gautam, Rahul Gautam, and Vivek Kumar. While Archana Gautam has been arrested in Delhi, the other two remain at large. The police are actively investigating the matter and have booked the trio under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy and cheating.

The scam came to light when a 28-year-old doctor approached the Dongri police station to file an FIR against three individuals for allegedly duping him of Rs 15 lakh. "In 2023, I came across a reel from a page known as Internationally. I got lured and contacted them," said the doctor on condition of anonymity.

The doctor recounted his experience, stating that he contacted an alleged scammer named Vivek, who assured him of admission to a radiology course in Spain without any entrance exams. "They told me there's a 5-year radiology course and that I would need to learn Spanish for 3 months. The admission would be done without any entrance exams. They took a payment of Rs 14 lakh from me. Vivek, Archana, and others subsequently convinced me by showing forged documents and fake testimonies," he added.

The agency had claimed that he would secure admission to Hospital Rey Juan Carlos.

Another victim, a 27-year-old doctor, shared a similar experience. He paid Rs 15 lakh to the agency, expecting lucrative employment opportunities in Spain. "Last year, I saw that reel from the agency and got lured by the offer. They had a systematic approach to dupe aspiring students who wanted to pursue postgraduate courses. I saw testimonies on Instagram. The people in the agency convinced me I would earn 4,000 euros. I paid Rs 15 lakhs to come to Spain. I learned Spanish, and then the people from the agency started to go incommunicado. They didn't give any satisfactory answers regarding admission," the doctor said on condition of anonymity.

At least six other parents have allegedly been duped by the same agency. The parents approached Kaushambi police station, Uttar Pradesh, to register an FIR in this matter. The police are in the process of registering an FIR.

According to Dr Pankaj Gupta, the agency duped them of Rs 10 lakh, which was sent to Sashmita Nanda. "We came across an ad on Facebook by the agency Internationally and decided to send our daughter to Spain. However, we came in contact with a student in Spain, and he said that the agency had not placed him in any college. Hence, I decided not to send my daughter. I asked the agency for a refund, and they did not return it, so I approached the police station. All the money had been transferred to Sashmita Nanda's account in Poland," he said.

According to another doctor, he had been duped by the agency and reported the incident to Kaushambi police station. "Sashmita is the kingpin of the racket, and we had sent the money to her. My daughter's visa was rejected by the embassy, and we got to know about the fraud. We thank the Mumbai police for their prompt action. The police in Uttar Pradesh will register an FIR in this matter," he said on condition of anonymity.