Ahmedabad farmer alleges ₹8.5 lakh fraud by education firm after French college cancels admission

An Ahmedabad-based farmer has lodged a police complaint alleging that a private overseas education consultancy duped his family of ₹8.53 lakh after failing to refund the fees paid for his nephew’s admission to a French college, despite the admission being cancelled earlier this year.

As per the FIR filed at Bodakdev police station on November 18, Maheshbhai Patel (50), a resident of Kapadvanj in Kheda district, stated that his 25-year-old nephew Snehalkumar, who is preparing to pursue higher studies abroad, had approached Egniol Pvt Ltd, an education consultancy operating in Science City, Ahmedabad, for admission to a college in France.

Patel stated that in January 2025, the firm demanded a non-refundable fee of ₹30,000 and an additional €9,500 (₹8,53 lakh) as admission charges, which the family transferred on January 13, 2025 through RTGS to a Thomas Cook account number provided by the consultancy. The firm subsequently emailed the family a fee receipt and, on January 21, another communication stating that Snehalkumar’s admission had been confirmed by the French college.

However, Patel told police that the French authorities later cancelled his nephew’s visa application, resulting in the cancellation of the admission. As per the college’s stated policy, the admission fees were to be refunded within 45 to 60 days, a condition conveyed to the family by Egniol Pvt Ltd.

Patel said that after the passing of the refund window, no money was returned. When he visited the firm’s office, he met a man identifying himself as Matthews Johnson, who claimed the firm’s owner, Vishal Brahmbhatt, would process the refund within a week. But subsequent attempts to contact Brahmbhatt said to be residing in Shela-Bopal failed, with his phone switched off and the office later found shut.

Patel alleged that since January, no representative of the company has contacted them nor refunded the amount, leaving the family convinced that a fraud had been committed in the guise of overseas admission assistance.

Police said the complaint has been registered for cheating and criminal breach of trust, and further investigation is under way to verify the firm’s operations, locate the accused, and corroborate the documents submitted by the complainant.

An investigation officer at Bodakdev police station confirmed that the statements of the complainant and relevant witnesses will be recorded, and efforts are being made to trace the company officials. Authorities are also examining whether similar complaints have been filed against the consultancy.