The State police department constituted a special investigation team headed by Superintendent of Police Dr Sadanand Date on Thursday to probe the case of four conmen duping around 100 doctors seeking admission in the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT) post-graduate courses.
The involvement of HIHT officials is also being considered as a possibility. Earlier, Dehradun police had arrested the four persons - Rajiv Rana, Surjeet, Satish Negi and Sudhakar - with Rs 2 lakh on April 29. They are now being lodged in Sudhowala jail.
These conmen had allegedly cheated several students and doctors from across the country by posing themselves as owners and administrative officers of HIHT and promising them admission in PG course there. Investigation revealed that the accused had cheated around 15 doctors by duping them of huge sums varying from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 15 lakh from each for the promised admission in PG course in HIHT, applying the same modus operandi.
Investigation further revealed that around 100 doctors hailing from different parts of the country had approached these swindlers on internet to get admission in PG course in HIHT and some of them had deposited money varying from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. One of the victims is learnt to have collected the amount after he had sold his mother’s ornaments.
This case came into picture when lakam Dikshapati had registered a written complaint, stating that he had been acquainted with Satish Negi over internet. “Negi identified himself as Vijay Dhasmana, a member presidential body of HIHT. Negi had pasted his photograph on the internet which was almost similar to that of the owner of the facility Dhasmana. Negi had promised me admission in PG course in lieu of Rs 6 lakh. Asked by him, I had deposited Rs 6 lakhs in his bank account for admission in HIHT,” he said, adding that he had been asked by him to inform his friends about such admission.
He grew suspicious after a few months as nothing happened. “I approached HIHT officials and came to learn that I had been duped,” he said. Taking cognisance of the complaint, a case under Sections 420 and 406 of IPC was registered against some unidentified persons in Nehru Colony police station.
It is further learnt that Negi was a former manager of a private bank and was thrown out for allegedly indulging in financial irregularities. Police said he was the kingpin of the fraud gang that included two persons from Dehradun and one from Delhi. He used to identify himself as member of the presidential body of HIHT and his aides as institute officials before they ventured to trap the gullible in their swindling net. His target was those hailing from South India.