In Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, law enforcement apprehended a tutoring instructor and pressed charges against her for assuming the role of an IAS officer in order to secure admission for a student in a prestigious school.
Facing a lack of response from the school administration, the accused, Nidhi Samuel, who assumed the alias Nidhi Pandey, turned to the police officers, attempting to impress them with her academic credentials.
Subsequently, Samuel implored the officers to exert pressure on the school for the expedited admission of her child. Detecting suspicious behavior, the police initiated an investigation, unraveling the truth in due course.
Under interrogation, the accused admitted to orchestrating a scheme wherein she negotiated deals with the parents of students, involving significant sums, to facilitate admissions to esteemed city schools.
Samuel, a denizen of Circuit House in the Cantt police station precinct, disclosed her involvement in this illicit trade as a means to amass wealth rapidly. On this occasion, she had negotiated a deal worth Rs 1 lakh, but the school displayed apparent disinterest, disregarding her repeated emails.
In her initial communication with the school, Samuel portrayed herself as the PS (Personal Secretary) of Cabinet Minister Ashish Patel, a claim not taken seriously by the school authorities, who rebuffed her attempts. Failing to secure admission for the child, Samuel devised a plan to garner favor with the officers and achieve her objective.
The information reached Cabinet Minister Patel’s office, prompting immediate notification to the DCP City, the ACP, and other inspectors in the area. They crafted a strategy to apprehend the accused Samuel, feigning interest and inviting her to send the child’s parents to the police station for a discussion and potential admission.
Upon arrival, the parents confessed to striking a deal with Samuel to secure admission for their child, divulging the truth. The police swiftly intervened, conducting a raid on the residence of the accused Samuel and effecting her arrest.