Cinema VinesA 24‑year‑old student of a prestigious management institute in Mumbai was defrauded out of ₹24.60 lakhs by a Gurugram youth who claimed to be a counsellor. The victim, enrolled in a distance‑learning MBA (finance) program, met the alleged counsellor, Alok K, at a Juhu café earlier this year. Alok helped him with admission paperwork and quickly gained his trust.
During an online exam, the student’s device flagged a copying alert. He called Alok to confirm he was not cheating, only to receive another alert on the final day that caused the exam app to crash. Alok then warned the student that he would be debarred and black‑listed, jeopardising future admissions. He offered to resolve the issue for a fee, promising a refund if he failed.
Under this pretext, the student transferred the sum in instalments. Alok returned only ₹1.15 lakh and continued to demand more money, even after the student had successfully passed the exam. Realising he had been conned, the student informed his parents and filed a complaint at Bangur Nagar police station in early September.
Police traced Alok’s phone records and financial trail, locating him in Gurugram. He was arrested on 11 September. Investigators discovered that Alok had previously worked at a call centre contracted by the institute to coordinate admissions. He had accessed the victim’s phone number from the centre’s database and targeted him. Two cell phones were seized during the raid.
When questioned, Alok admitted that he had been inspired by the antagonist played by Vikrant Massey in Rajkumar Hirani’s web series “Pritam And Pedro.” He claimed to have used social engineering and impersonation tactics to deceive the student, mirroring the series’ cyber‑crime storyline.
The case highlights the growing danger of online scams that mimic popular media narratives. Authorities urge students to verify the authenticity of counsellors and to report suspicious activities promptly.
