Siliguri, 14th February: A case of alleged fraud in the name of paramedical courses has come to light from the Milan More area under Pradhan Nagar police station in Siliguri, marking the second such incident within a week. Earlier, a paramedical centre in the Salbari area had reportedly turned into a vocational centre overnight, after which police arrested three persons.
On Friday night, students from Milan More alleged that they were cheated in the name of paramedical training. The aggrieved students staged a protest at Pradhan Nagar police station and later submitted a written complaint. Based on the complaint, police arrested seven persons associated with the institution, including two women.
The arrested accused have been identified as Sanjay Sharma, Kaushik Guha, Subhrojit Sharma, Nabin Banik, Abhijit Sutradhar, Rodha Khati and Roshi Chettri. Sanjay Sharma, Kaushik Guha and Subhrojit Sharma are residents of Janata Nagar in Ward No. 44. Abhijit Sutradhar is a resident of Alipurduar, while Rodha Khati is from Mirik and Roshi Chettri from Kalimpong. Police sources said that Sanjay Sharma, Kaushik Guha and Subhrojit Sharma are directors of the institution.
Students alleged that they were informed that paramedical courses were being offered and were charged around ₹1.5 lakh each. However, instead of paramedical training, they were allegedly provided vocational training. They also claimed that no placement was given after completion of the course and that the certificates issued by the institution have no official recognition.
According to the students, the Salbari and Milan More paramedical institutes were initially one entity and were later operated under two different names at separate locations. They have demanded strict punishment for the accused.
Government counsel Sushanto Niyogi stated that the institution facing allegations has not received any approval from the Health Department. All the accused were produced before the court on Saturday.