Ahmedabad: Ellisbridge police on Saturday registered a case against the deputy manager of an overseas study consultancy firm for allegedly misappropriating more than Rs 10.8 lakh collected from students and parents as university fees. The accused has been booked under charges of cheating, criminal breach of trust, and misappropriation of funds.
Complaint and Accused Details
The complaint was lodged by the senior manager of operations of the Vadodara-based firm, which operates a branch in Ahmedabad. The accused, a resident of Paldi, was appointed as deputy branch manager in May 2022 and was responsible for overseeing operations at the Ahmedabad office near Nehrunagar Circle. His duties included counseling students seeking admission abroad and coordinating fee payments to foreign universities, particularly in the United Kingdom.
Internal Inquiry Uncovers Irregularities
According to the complaint, the company initiated an internal inquiry after suspecting irregularities in his work. The probe allegedly revealed that between March 2025 and November 2025, the accused collected money from students and parents, claiming it would be transferred to UK university bank accounts. Instead, he allegedly diverted the funds to his personal bank account and also accepted payments in cash.
Total Amount Involved
Police stated that the accused collected a total of Rs 29.13 lakh from four students and their families. Of this amount, he later returned Rs 18.30 lakh in installments but failed to repay the remaining amount to clients or deposit it with the universities, related agencies, or the consultancy firm. The First Information Report (FIR) names four affected students. Police said some payments were made through bank transfers, while others were routed via angadia channels (an informal money transfer system).
The investigation is ongoing, and police are working to trace the diverted funds and ascertain the full extent of the fraud.
