CHENNAI: The Chennai Police's Central Crime Branch (CCB) have arrested a 37-year-old woman for defrauding a family from Kanniyakumari of over Rs 30 lakh by promising an MBBS seat for a student in the family.

The arrested person has been identified as Ramya Madhavan.

CCB registered a case based on a complaint from Rosemary Russell (45) of Kanniyakumari district, who approached Ramya to get an MBBS seat for her daughter in 2022.

Ramya and her associate, Antony Das, claimed that they were well-connected in the government and assured admission for her daughter if she paid Rs 60.5 lakh.

To make Rosemary believe her, Ramya took her to the premises of the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) office in Teynampet and then showed a forged admission order.

When the admission did not materialise, Rosemary demanded her money back, and the accused returned Rs 29.5 lakh but failed to repay the remainder.

Subsequently, Rosemary filed a complaint with the city police commissionerate. After investigations, the police arrested Ramya for cheating and providing forged documents. Efforts are underway to arrest Antony Das.

Earlier this week, the Greater Chennai Police (GCP) issued a statement appealing to the public to be wary of mediators/brokers who claim to be influential and offer to secure MBBS seats in medical colleges.