How Symbiosis staff, student contacted fraudsters to unmask MBA admission scam through YouTube ad, lodged FIR

As per the FIR, on February 14, 2025, the complainant saw a misleading advertisement on a YouTube page carrying the logo of Symbiosis along with the image of the organisation’s building. According to the FIR, the advertisement promised “direct” admission in Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM) for MBA course 2025. It also mentioned a mobile phone number for those who wanted to know the “complete budget” for the MBA admission.

The complainant immediately informed the SIBM director. They further discussed fraudulent YouTube advertisements with the senior authorities, who asked them to gather more information about the scam.

Police said the Symbiosis officials sought help from a girl student. She contacted the phone number displayed on the YouTube advertisement for making admission inquiries, but got no response. But within sometime, a person started chatting with her on WhatsApp from the same number and offered her admission at Symbiosis on payment of Rs 51 lakh as fees along with Rs 20 lakh more as “donation / captitation”.

Two days later, she got a call from the same number from a woman asking her about the city where she prefers to take admission. To this, she replied Symbiosis in Pune. Then, on February 19, a man called her from a different mobile number to explain the “admission process”. He assured to put her name in the “merit list” of Symbiosis on an initial payment of Rs 5 lakh and submission of original documents like marksheets.

He said that the donation amount would increase if she delays payment and gave her another mobile number to get further details. Accordingly, when she called on this number and made inquiries for first-year MBA admission, a man asked her to visit him at his office in Baner.

She shared the office address with the Symbiosis authorities. Police said on March 30, Symbiosis staffers posing as persons seeking MBA admission for the girl went to this address and found a plush office.

There, a man claiming to be an “authorised representative” of Symbiosis promised to secure a seat for them for MBA course on payment of Rs 5 lakh. He said after the payment, they would receive an email from Symbiosis within a month, after which they can pay the admission fees. Then they would have to give him the remaining amount of Rs 15 lakh, or else the admission would be cancelled and original documents of the candidate would not be returned.

Symbiosis then reported the matter to the police. An FIR was lodged on April 2, against the persons allegedly operating the admission scam by demanding lakhs of rupees from people on fake promises of providing admission at Symbiosis through a fraudulent YouTube advertisement. Police have booked the accused persons under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 319, 336, 340 (1), 340 (2), 61, 62 and sections of the Information Technology Act.

Police suspect the accused persons used fake identities for carrying out the fraud. Investigation into the case has been handed over to the crime branch of the Pune city police. A multi-state probe was on for tracing the fraudsters, police said.

Meanwhile, the FIR mentions that Symbiosis follows a transparent process for MBA admissions by holding “SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test)”. It also says Symbiosis has not appointed any agents or agency for admissions and apart from course fees, no extra charges like donation, capitation are taken from students. The details regarding it are widely published on an official website of the Symbiosis organisation, the FIR says.