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major education scam has been exposed in Odisha, shattering the dreams of hundreds of aspiring students. In a well-organized fraud involving fake B.Ed certificates, police have arrested two accused who allegedly cheated more than 300 students.The arrested individuals have been identified as Chittaranjan Barik and Reema Das. They were operating an office near Sambalpur University in Burla under the name “One World Academy.” According to allegations, they lured students by promising B.Ed degrees in distance mode from Acharya Nagarjuna University in Andhra Pradesh and collected hefty amounts in return.
No Actual Enrollment
The scam came to light after multiple complaints were lodged at the Jharsuguda Cyber Police Station. Victims, including Preetirani Panda and Akankshyamayi Suna, stated that they had paid around Rs 55,000 for admission. However, they later discovered that no actual enrollment had taken place.
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Unemployed Youth On Target
According to police, the accused specifically targeted unemployed youth and students aspiring to pursue B.Ed courses. They used forged documents to falsely assure students that their admissions had been successfully processed. However, when the time for examinations approached, the accused failed to provide any valid documents or information, raising suspicion among the victims.Jharsuguda SP GR Raghavendra stated, “B.Ed is a regular course governed strictly by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) and university norms. There is no provision for B.Ed through distance mode. Students and parents must verify the recognition and affiliation of institutions before taking admission or making any payments.”Both accused have been arrested, and further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the network. Police suspect that the number of victims may rise as more complaints emerge. Efforts are also being made to trace other individuals involved and recover the defrauded money.This case once again highlights how fraudsters exploit the aspirations of young students in the name of education. Vigilance and proper verification remain the best safeguards against such scams.
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