Thiruvananthapuram | Police on Wednesday said they had arrested the main suspect in a long-running scam that preyed on students’ hopes of becoming doctors here.

The accused, Prashant Agarwal from Hathras in Uttar Pradesh, allegedly cheated aspiring medical students and their parents out of large sums of money by falsely promising admission to top colleges, a police release said.

Agarwal had been on the run for five years after a case was registered against him.

A special crime branch team of the Kerala Police tracked him down in his home state and arrested him.

According to the police, Agarwal used online and social media platforms, particularly in regions such as Delhi and Noida, to post prominent advertisements.

He allegedly offered to secure coveted medical seats in various colleges across India.

The case that led to his arrest dates back to 2020, when a man from Parasuvakkal in Thiruvananthapuram district paid Agarwal around Rs 20 lakh after being promised a seat at the prestigious D Y Patil College in Mumbai.

In a brazen move, Agarwal even met the victim on the college campus to hand over a forged admission letter, making the offer appear genuine.

After the payment was made, no admission materialised, prompting the victim to file a complaint at Neyyattinkara police station.

The crime branch later took over the investigation due to the seriousness of the case.

Following his arrest, Agarwal was produced before a court in Neyyattinkara, which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.