Ex-professor cons students with ‘admission’ in south Mumbai colleges

Mishra used his past connections to lure the students. Representation pic

A 40-year-old former professor has been arrested for allegedly duping at least a dozen students with the promise of getting them admission in post-graduate courses at top south Mumbai colleges. Accused Sushil Mishra used to work at a SoBo college but lost his job after the lockdown last year. He has allegedly collected up to Rs 9 lakh from his victims, the police said.

The cyber cell of the north region tracked down Mishra, a Jogeshwari resident, who had gone underground for the past few days.

The police said Mishra touted his college connections to trap students. He claimed he had good contacts at prominent colleges and could secure admission in PG courses.

A cyber cell officer told mid-day, "A Borivli resident complained to us saying Mishra had taken Rs 9 lakh for her granddaughter's admission in a top college. He also gave them receipts for the payment."

To win the trust of the student, Mishra arranged e-classes. "The student was given a user ID and password. The girl even attended online classes for a week on Zoom before the professor switched off his phone," the officer said.

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The girl told the police that the lectures in the first week were introductory.

After failing to reach Mishra over phone, the student and her family contacted the SoBo college only to learn that they had been conned.

The college told her and her family that all the receipts given to them by Mishra were fake. During the probe, it was also found that Mishra had taken R6 lakh from a student from Govandi, said the police.

The cyber cell officer said, "Mishra was a professor but due to lockdown he was terminated. He has cheated at least a dozen students promising them admission in management and other PG courses and taken Rs 3-9 lakh from each of them."