Gujarat BJP leader duped of Rs 55 lakh on promise of medical college seat for son

Dixit, 56, is a former corporator of Vadodara Municipal Corporation and also led the media wing of the city’s BJP unit. According to the FIR, his son Shivang completed Class 12 in the Science stream and wanted to pursue a career in medicine. He ranked low in NEET and could not get admission through the merit list. Dixit then started trying for a seat in a private college’s management quota.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Dixit said, “In April 2019, I came across an advertisement offering assistance with medical college admissions in private colleges. Even an acquaintance suggested that I approach the agency as it had helped someone before. I contacted Ajiteshkumar Sarangi (the prime accused), who assured me that they could arrange Shivang’s admission through the management quota.”

How BJP leader was conned

Dixit said the accused allegedly told him that they could secure a seat in a private medical college in Karnataka, Maharashtra or Rajasthan and that the admission would cost around Rs 60 lakh. “I chose Maharashtra and Rajasthan as I was not keen to send my son to Karnataka… My daughter was already pursuing medicine on merit at the government medical college in Vadodara. I wanted my son to take up medicine too for a better future… Many people do it this way,” he said.

“The accused initially took three cheques drawn on my account for about Rs 60 lakh. A sum of Rs 15 lakh was deposited in the account of an entity identified in the complaint as Orbital Career… Thereafter, no cheque was deposited,” he said.

Dixit then contacted the accused to enquire about the process and the further payment. “They told me they were facing a problem in taking payment through cheques and asked me to arrange Rs 40 lakh in cash… After consulting my accountant, I gave them the cash,” he said. The accused subsequently showed him some letters on a mobile phone, claiming that the admission process was underway, the FIR said.

According to the complaint, the accused then informed Dixit in May and June 2019 that the admission process was over and that there were no additional management quota seats. The accused allegedly told him that the admission would be finalised the following year. That did not happen either.

“By then, I had already paid a total amount of Rs 55 lakh… However, they were not able to fulfil the promise. When I asked for a refund, a seven-year-long harassment began,” Dixit said.

Dixit said he kept sending reminders to Sarangi, asking him to return the money. The accused subsequently gave him cheques towards repayment, but they bounced. “Thereafter, they wound up their office from Vadodara and fled. When I first approached the police in 2022, I was told to approach the civil court… I had also lost almost two years due to Covid-19, and I was seriously ill during the pandemic. When I regained my strength, I decided to fight again,” he said in the complaint.

The FIR, registered on September 1, alleges that the five accused acted as part of a pre-planned conspiracy to dupe Dixit on the false promise of securing his son’s admission. Police have booked Vadodara resident Sarangi, his wife Tejal, Chandresh Yagnik, and Delhi-based Ranjit Mukhiya and Sanjiv Jha in the case.

Dixit added that his son eventually pursued a course in physiotherapy. His daughter is currently pursuing a postgraduate course at a government medical college in Ahmedabad. An official of Gorwa police station said the investigation had begun and the accused would be called in.