CHENNAI: Greater Chennai Police (GCP), on Saturday, issued a statement appealing to the public to be wary of mediators or brokers who claim to be influential and offer to secure MBBS seats in medical colleges.

In an official statement, the city police said that in the recent past, there has been a sharp rise in complaints wherein people have lost several lakhs to such brokers who make tall claims.

The police clarified that all medical admissions in Tamil Nadu are strictly based on NEET examination scores and can only be secured through the official counselling process conducted by the government.

Early this year, the Chennai police's Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested a man from Andhra Pradesh who cheated a city resident of Rs 71 lakh, promising an MBBS seat for his daughter in any college in the southern states.

“The brokers claim to be rubbing shoulders with top officials in government and also with medical college authorities and disappear with the money and surface back after years to look for new targets,” an official with the city police's CCB said.

The city police warned of strict action against the intermediaries who cheat the public.